The Other Path
by NamikazeMinato99
Summary: What if Sasuke never left? How would that change the story?
1. Changing Fate

Chapter 1: Changing Fate

The Hidden Leaf Village was in chaos. Orochimaru's invasion had left them weakened and almost defenseless, so each and every ninja in the village was working extra hard. However, Lady Tsunade had an even bigger problem to worry about. Sasuke Uchiha had defected from the village, and only a group of Genin had been sent to retrieve him. She soon realized that this would not be enough and had already sent word to the Hidden Sand Village to provide support.

"Shizune!" Tsunade yelled, looking to grab the attention of her assistant. "Have the Sand Village replied yet?"

"Yes Lady Tsunade" Shizune replied, looking completely exhausted and overwhelmed. Her hair was knotted and frayed and she appeared to have aged years over the past day. "They said that they've dispatched a team of Chunnin, who are on their way to provide back up."

Tsunade frowned at this, not trying to hide her disappointment.

"Chunnin?" she asked, not expecting any kind of answer. "I requested Jonin at least, with ANBU if they could spare it. They owe us for the way we forgave them for their betrayal!"

"I know" Shizune replied, "but it's all they could spare. They suffered heavy losses as well; they don't even have a Kage at the helm. Chunnin is all they could give us and by the sounds of the message they gave us, it's probably more than they would have given anyone else."

Tsunade sighed and pressed her fingers against her forehead. She had only just become Hokage and already had this to deal with. A delicate balancing act such as this wasn't something that she was used to, or particularly good at. Still, it was her duty to remain calm and make tough decisions. She couldn't let everyone down.

"That'll have to do then," she said, reluctantly giving up. She got up from her desk and stared out towards the distance, thinking about what could possibly be going on out there.

Sasuke walked across the statue of the ancient Shinobi that stood at the Valley of the End. For a moment, he wondered just who this man was. Of course, it was common knowledge that the First Hokage defeated him, but his name appeared to have been lost in history.

_Not like it even matters _Sasuke thought, as he even allowed himself a small chuckle. _All that matters now is power. Once I reach Orochimaru, I'll be able to surpass Itachi and finally end this nightmare. _

"Sasuke!" a high-pitched scream came from behind him.

_Of course, things can't always go so smoothly. I wonder who this could be._

Sasuke slowly turned around to see who could have been following him. He saw a small, blond boy wearing an orange jumpsuit and a panicked expression on his face. Sasuke particularly enjoyed seeing Naruto's expression change once he saw Sasuke's cursed face. It was all confirmation of his supreme power and superiority over him.

"Hey, dumbass" Sasuke said condescendingly. "So, it's you this time."

Naruto's face scrunched up in anger. His hands shook as he tried to contain his rage over this entire situation. He had a promise to keep to Sakura and he would not let her down.

"I've already told Sakura and now I'll tell you as well," Sasuke continued, loving every second. "Forget about me and leave me alone."

Naruto continued to glare.

"What's with that face?" Sasuke teased, feigning surprise.

"Why?" Naruto cried out, desperate for an answer. "Why are you being like this, Sasuke?"

"What does this, have to do with you?" Sasuke asked, beginning to get annoyed at Naruto's constant questioning. "I'm following my own path and won't let you or anyone else drag me from that. Let me make this clear to you. I'm done playing ninja with you fools in the Leaf Village, so go home Naruto."

"Choji, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, Bushy Brows, they all risked their lives to come and save you!" Naruto yelled, trying to make his friend see sense.

"Good for them" Sasuke responded, his sarcasm obvious.

At this point, Naruto lost any composure he may have had and launched himself over the valley towards Sasuke. His eyes were red and the whisker marks on his face were enflamed. He landed on top of Sasuke and forced him into the ground. Naruto sat on top of him and stared down at his face. His eyes were so cold and uncaring. He wasn't even looking at Naruto so much as he was looking through him. He didn't care that Naruto was trying to save him or about the lives of the others.

Naruto couldn't bear to see it and forced his fist into Sasuke's dark expression. Sasuke didn't appear fazed by it, so Naruto hit him again. His face was still left unaltered and Naruto's strikes appeared ineffective. He then pulled Sasuke up from the ground by his shirt and stared into his eyes.

"So, am I supposed to get stronger by staying with those so called comrades?" Sasuke asked, stunning Naruto as he did.

_All he cares about is power _Naruto thought, _and he'll do anything to get it._

"I'm going to Orochimaru" Sasuke said, his tone unwavering.

"Orochimaru killed the Third Hokage and attacked our village" Naruto shouted, pulling himself closer to Sasuke. "You think he'll just give you power for free? He wants your body as a vessel Sasuke! You might not come back. You might be killed! I can't let you do something like that!"

Sasuke stared back with blood dripping from his face, wounds that Naruto himself had inflicted. The left side of his face was still marked with the curse that Orochimaru had placed on him.

"I don't care about that," Sasuke whispered to a shocked Naruto. "All I care about is accomplishing my goal and I can't help it if you're going to get in my way."

Sasuke's words sounded like a threat and Naruto could barely believe his ears. How far would Sasuke go to accomplish this goal of his?

"No, I won't let you do it" Naruto said, vocalizing his determination. "I'll bring you back with force if I have to!"

Sasuke began to laugh at this. It was a slow and quiet laugh but loud enough to have the desire affect.

"If I recall" he said, as he grabbed onto Naruto's shirt. "Our last fight was interrupted, wasn't it?"

Naruto thought back to that day on the hospital roof. Even then, Sasuke's eyes were full of malice. Back then; the fight was a chance for Naruto to prove himself to Sasuke, the person whose respect he wanted the most. This time, things were different and the situation was much more tense.

"That wasn't the kind of fight I wanted" Naruto cried, as he remembered how their battle had spun out of control and they came close to killing each other. "Even now, I-"

Naruto was cut off as he felt Sasuke start to push him off the ground. His sheer physical strength was astonishing and he overpowered Naruto with ease.

"Why should I care what you want?" Sasuke rasped, as he continued lifting Naruto up by the scruff of his neck. Eventually, Sasuke had stood up completely and he still had Naruto by his throat. Naruto struggled against Sasuke's stranglehold, but couldn't break out of it. He felt his clothes tighten around his neck and suddenly began to panic about his safety.

Then, Sasuke dropped Naruto from his grasp and freed him from the pain he was feeling. However, his relief was short lived as Sasuke hit him in the stomach with enough force to send Naruto into the lake below them. Sasuke watched Naruto crash into the water and then stared at his hands amazed.

_What is this power coming from within me? _Sasuke thought, as the curse mark receded and Sasuke's face returned to normal.

"So, this is the power that Orochimaru was talking about" Sasuke said, still staring at his hands. "If that's the power I can get now, imagine what I'll be able to do once I've fully released this seal."

Naruto crawled out of the water and gasped for air. Without wasting too much time, he then ran towards Sasuke and jumped into the air. Sasuke did likewise and their battle begun.

Kakashi jumped from tree to tree as he raced through the forest and headed back to the Leaf Village. His latest mission had been completed without any problems and he was even ahead of schedule. However, he still found himself rushing to get back to the village and he knew why.

_I hope that the situation between Naruto and Sasuke hasn't got worse while I've been away _he thought, as he picked up the pace. He was on edge while travelling as he pondered all the possible situations that could have emerged over the past few days. This tension was highlighted when he threw his Shiruken after seeing movement out of the corner of his eye. It turned out that it was nothing more than a butterfly.

_I need to calm myself _Kakashi thought as he stopped moving. _What a stupid thing to react to. _

As Kakashi stared at the butterfly, he heard noises ahead of him. He thought that it might be the sound of battle, but he couldn't be sure. It left him with a dilemma as he deliberated with what to do.

_Do I go back to the village or should I investigate what the commotion is about?_

After considering the options for another few moments, he realized there was only one thing he could do.

_I have to find out what's going on _he decided, as he headed towards the source of the noise and away from the village, his original target. The noise was amplified as Kakashi moved closer and the sounds of battle became more obvious. The noise soon reached its peak, before suddenly stopping completely. Kakashi then increased his speed, knowing that the battle must have reached its conclusion. Finally, he came to a clearing that was once a field, but was now resembled a desert. In the middle of the sea of sand, Kakashi saw two boys sitting. They were clearly breathing heavily, indicating their involvement in the fight.

_What on earth is going on here? _Kakashi asked himself, as he approached the two figures. After reaching them, he was shocked to see who he found.

"Lee?" Kakashi asked, shocked at finding Gai's student in the midst of a battle. "I thought you were still injured, what are you doing out here?" He then noticed the red haired boy sitting next to him. "Gaara of the Sand Village? Why are you with each other?"

Kakashi looked at each of the young Shinobi and waited for answers. The answer he got, made him feel sick.

"Kakashi Sensei, you don't know?" Lee asked, as he winced from the pain. "Some of the Genin were sent on an urgent mission to-"

A searing pain in his arm interrupted Lee, which caused him to cry out. Gaara continued where he left off.

"The mission was to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha," he said, his dull tones doing nothing to ease Kakashi's fears.

"Retrieve Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, not wanting to believe it. "What happened to him?"

"Sasuke left to join Orochimaru" Lee said, rejoining the conversation. "The rest of the group were forced to hold off many different enemies while the others continued on. Only Naruto is still following Sasuke."

"Where direction did they go in?" Kakashi asked, as he began making hand seals.

"They went that way," Gaara said, as he pointed towards the opening that Naruto had disappeared down an hour or so before. Kakashi slapped the ground and summoned his faithful ninja hound Pakkun.

"Hey Kakashi, what's up?" the small dog asked.

"No time Pakkun, I need you to track Naruto and Sasuke's scent," he said, trying to rush things along. "We know that they went in this general direction so this is where we'll begin."

Kakashi and Pakkun set off in pursuit of the boys. Kakashi was moving faster than he had done in years and his partner was struggling to keep up.

_Don't do anything stupid, you two _Kakashi pleaded, knowing that his hopes would probably be dashed. Eventually, he broke through the trees and found himself in the Valley of the End. The majestic valley was created as a result of the battle between the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, his greatest rival. Two statues of the great warriors stood either side of a giant waterfall, which poured in to a lake. As Kakashi reached the lake, he looked around desperately.

"Where are they?" Kakashi asked, as he hoped that he wasn't too late.

Sasuke shuddered as he tried to stand back up, as he glared at Naruto, who was encased within a red cloak of chakra. His beast like movements and increase in raw power surprised Sasuke and offered much more of a challenge than expected. Sasuke groaned again as he began to feel pain all around his body, before he thought back to what one of the Sound Shinobi told him.

"If you hold the release state for too long, the seal will begin to corrode your body."

_I don't have time to waste while using this body _Sasuke thought, as he prepared to attack again.

"Do you know that this place is called the Valley of the End on the country border?" Sasuke said, his eyes gleaming in anticipation. "This is the perfect setting, isn't it Naruto?"

Naruto just continued to glare and didn't answer Sasuke.

"Your right, the time for talking is over. This battle ends now."

Sasuke made the necessary hand seals before pointing his left hand towards the ground and clenching his wrist with his other hand.

"Chidori" he rasped as his hand lit up with spark of black lightning. The power of this technique in this form astounded Sasuke, who savored the moment. Naruto responded by holding out his right arm and forming a ball of chakra. His Rasengan was much larger than normal and appeared much more powerful as well. Both of the boys scowled at each other for a few seconds before jumping through the air, their attacks poised to inflict damage. Just before they could connect, both of boys felt a hand grab their wrist and they were flung into the stone statues they had been standing on just moments before.

"I thought I had made myself clear on this issue earlier" Kakashi said, his expression conveying the pure anger he felt inside.


	2. New Endings, New Beginnings

Chapter 2: New Endings, New Beginnings

Kakashi's first thought was to get to Sasuke immediately. He raced over to Sasuke's side, but he needn't have hurried. The troubled child was completely unconscious and had reverted back to his normal state. His Leaf headband was loose fitting but still just about intact and his body appeared badly beaten up. However, it was the external damage done to the mountain that really concerned the Jonin.

_The size of that crater is enormous _he thought, while staring at the hole Sasuke's attack had made into the side of the Madara statue. _That curse mark really does give a tremendous power boost. Its no wonder Orochimaru's offer tempted him. _

Kakashi then turned to Pakkun, who was still by his side.

"Pakkun, hurry back to the village and tell them to send a squad after us. There should be several other Genin in the forest that need medical attention or assistance in battle."

"Understood" Pakkun croaked, before carrying out his orders. Kakashi then lifted Sasuke up and put him over his shoulder, before going to check on Naruto.

_He's out cold as well. Judging by the damage done to this statue, Naruto had a power boost that was similar in size to Sasuke's. Is even more the fox's chakra leaking out than before? _

Kakashi then put Naruto over his other shoulder and carried both boys back towards the village. He moved slowly, in order to keep both of them balanced. As he ran, he thought about the day the two of them fought on the hospital and what a fool he had been.

_I should have seen it then _he thought _it was so obvious. Yet, I turned a blind eye and thought that one little conversation with Sasuke would be enough to do it. I'm such an idiot; the kid's much more damaged than I ever was. I guess I don't understand him as well as I thought. _

There was then a sound of groaning as Naruto began to stir.

"Kakashi Sensei" he said, still dazed from the battle. "Where's Sasuke?"

Before Kakashi could answer, Naruto spotted his comrade on his teachers other shoulder. Satisfied, he closed his eyes again to get some rest.

"Kakashi" a voice cried out, as several medical ninja appeared from the trees. They spotted the two Genin on his shoulders and a look of relief appeared on all their faces.

"What is their condition?" the nearest medic, who was named Hosho, asked.

"Naruto is fine, he just regained consciousness and is resting" Kakashi replied, "Sasuke is still knocked out, but there's nothing to suggest any serious damage. I suggest that one of you take a hold of Naruto, so we can move faster."

Hosho took Naruto from Kakashi's shoulder, allowing Kakashi to get a better grip on Sasuke. To others, it could appear that Kakashi chose to hold on to Sasuke out of some kind of favoritism, but Hosho knew better. He was holding on to Sasuke so that he couldn't leave again.

"What's the status of the Genin?" Kakashi asked, and Naruto listened intently.

"By the Hokage's order, the first and second medic teams have been dispatched. " Hosho responded. "They've already recovered the scattered and injured Genin and they've all been taken to receive urgent medical treatment."

"What's the specifics" Kakashi pressed, annoyed that he had to even ask.

"Oh yes!" Hosho replied feeling a little embarrassed. "Shikamaru Nara only has a minor injury and Kiba Inuzuka has a deep wound, but both are in no danger. Neji Hyuga and Choji Akimichi are in a critical condition, there status is uncertain."

Naruto's happy mood soon dissipated as he heard the news. He looked over at the unconscious Sasuke, who was oblivious about the situation.

_You better appreciate how far everyone went for you, Sasuke _he thought, as he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Shikamaru sat down in the waiting room at the hospital, as commotion unfolded all around him. The doctors were in a panic, as they desperately tried to undo the damage caused by the Sound ninja and heal the wounded Genin.

_God, I hate hospitals, _Shikamaru thought, as he stared down at his bandaged finger. _Everything's so fast paced and exhausting, not to mention the place smells of over – sterilization. Why does everybody take such a long time to get back to you about the patients? I asked about Choji and Neji at least an hour ago and I've been told nothing. Man, this whole thing is such a drag. _

"There's no point in fidgeting" a cocky female voice said from across the room. Shikamaru looked up and stared at the Kunoichi sat opposite him. Temari, from the Sand Village, was sat back and looking relaxed. Her fan was leaning against the wall next to her and she wore a cocky expression on her face.

"Sacrifice is an inevitable part of missions. Didn't you learn that in your emotions training?"

Shikamaru glared at her and felt a strange feeling of anger build up inside of him. He hated being talked down to by anyone, but it was especially annoying when it was a girl that did it.

"Training and actual combat are different" Shikamaru began, "In a mission, you don't know what's going to happen and I was team leader during this mission. Because of that, I understand that I'm not cut out to be a Shinobi."

"Unexpected fragility" Temari said, as she shot Shikamaru a disgruntled look. "Men are strange beings."

At this point, Shikamaru stood up. He couldn't keep still and needed to move about to take his mind off things.

"I shouldn't have been the leader on this mission," Shikamaru said, his words conveying his depression. "I just trusted everyone else, I was too laid back. It's all my fault."

"What, are you afraid of getting hurt?" Temari snapped, not offering any sympathy at all. Shikamaru ignored this comment and walked away from the waiting room. He wasn't sure where he was going to go but he knew that he had to get out of this pressure cooker.

"Shikamaru" a voice rasped from the shadows. "You're being talked down to by a girl and you're just running away?"

Shikamaru turned his head slightly to see the outline of his father, Shikaku. This day seemed to be getting more troublesome by the minute.

"I don't really want to have an argument with you" Shikamaru said, "because I'm not a girl."

"You're not a man either" Shikaku replied, as he continued to stare at his son. "You're just a coward. Even if you quit being a Shinobi, missions will still occur and someone has to carry it out. Your companions will just go with a new leader. So, maybe your companions will die. However, if you're their leader that might not happen. If you look at this mission as an experience and learn from it, then maybe your missions will go with fewer problems in the future."

Shikamaru didn't respond to his father's words, so Shikaku continued with his speech.

"If you're comrades are that important to you, before you run away consider becoming stronger for the sake of your friends. That's what it means to be a real friend, you coward."

Shikaku's words resonated with Shikamaru, but he didn't respond to them. He just stood in the middle of the hallway, trying not to look at anyone. A few seconds then passed, before the surgery room door creaked open and an exhausted looking Tsunade wandered out.

"It's alright now," Tsunade said, as she slumped down onto the seat that Shikamaru had been sitting on. "The effects of the pills were stopped by an antidote that I put together. This time he was saved and everything went according to plan."

She turned to Shikaku as she continued to speak.

"I used a special drug mixing from the Nara clan. There were some impressive things in that manual, the result of continual study?"

"Yeah, thanks" Shikaku said, before being cut off by an urgent Shizune.

"Lady Tsunade!" she gasped, as she tried to catch her breath. "Neji Hyuga's condition has stabilized, he should be alright!"

A sigh of relief swept through the room as the news was delivered. So far, everyone had survived.

"Also, I have some other urgent news. Kakashi Hatake has just returned with Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Both of the Genin were injured, but there lives are in no danger."

"So, Kakashi saved them huh?" Tsunade muttered, before looking towards Shikamaru. "You got lucky this time, Shikamaru. If it wasn't for the more experienced Kakashi, who wasn't even part of your team, you would have failed."

The rest of the shinobi gathered exchanged nervous glances. It seemed a little unfair to kick Shikamaru like he was down.

"However, the mission was a success and everyone is alive and that's the main thing."

"Next time" Shikamaru whispered, while tears streamed down his face. "Next time I'll show that I can do it flawlessly." He continued to cry as the rest of the group looked on.

Naruto sat up in his bed, as he adjusted his eyes to the light. He could feel several cuts and scrapes around his body and his hand in particular felt incredibly painful. Yet, that didn't really matter to him. They had been able to get Sasuke to come back and he was safe in the Hidden Leaf Village. That was the most important thing. However, there was still something troubling him. If Sasuke could go off like that once, what will stop him from doing so again?

"Hey, you're awake" a voice said from the door, which caused Naruto to lose his train of thought.

"Shikamaru!" he exclaimed, as he looked up to see his team leader standing in the doorway. "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry about me," Shikamaru said, as he showed Naruto his dislocated finger. "Especially when you're the one that's in the hospital bed. How are you?"

"I'm fine" Naruto beamed, showing off that trademark smile. "I'll be back out there kicking ass in no time. Wait, what about everyone else? I heard that Neji and Choji were badly hurt, are they alright?"

"Calm down Naruto, there fine" Shikamaru reassured him in response to Naruto's panicked tones. "Lady Tsunade used my clan's medical ninjutsu to heal Choji and Shizune's medical team have healed Neji's wounds. They're stabilized for now, so it looks like they're over the worst."

"That's good" Naruto said, his relief obvious.

"What happened with Sasuke then?" Shikamaru asked, a little unsure if he'd actually get an answer. Naruto didn't respond straight away as he considered his words for a moment.

"I don't really want to talk about what happened exactly" he began, "as it's private between the two of us. The important thing is that we were able to bring him back."

At that moment, the door swung open and Sakura cam running in. She wrapped her arms around Naruto and gave him a hug. She cried openly into his shoulder, as she released her emotions.

"Thank you, Naruto" she said, in between her sobs. "You did what you said you would, you brought him back."

"Well" Naruto said awkwardly, "It wasn't really me. Kakashi Sensei was the one that-"

"Hey" Sakura said, as she pulled away from him. "If it wasn't for you, Sasuke would have been long gone before Kakashi Sensei could get there. Come on, it's not like you to be modest."

Naruto smiled at this, before looking at the other person who came into the room.

"Granny Tsunade" he said, ignoring the respect that her title usually conferred. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check up on you" Tsunade replied, before putting down a bottle of medicine on Naruto's bedside table. "I heard you had some injuries but you seem ok now. "

"What about Sasuke, is he alright?" Naruto asked desperately. Tsunade raised her eyebrows at the question, shocked that he would still care this much about someone who had tried to kill him just hours before.

"He's resting in another room" Tsunade replied. "He's got Kakashi there guarding him, which is why you might not see your Sensei today."

_Looks like Kakashi has the same concerns that I do _Naruto thought, before letting a yawn escape his lips.

"Why don't we let Naruto get some rest?" Tsunade said, as she said Shikamaru and Sakura out of the room. Naruto began to complain but Tsunade cut him off.

"That's a direct order," she snapped, before closing the door.

Shikamaru went to check on Choji, leaving the two Kunoichi alone.

"Lady Tsunade" Sakura asked, as she tried to gather her courage. "Can you please let me be your apprentice?"

Tsunade studied the fragile girl and saw a little of herself in her. She was determined to protect the people that are important to her, despite any differences in strength. She also admired the child's courage in asking this and her determination to succeed. Tsunade could respect this and made her decision.

"Kakashi has told me that you're intelligent and have a strong spirit, as well as having excellent chakra control. With that in mind, I'll train you but be warned. I won't go easy on you!"

"Yes Lady Tsunade!" Sakura replied, as she began her new role as the Hokage's apprentice.

Sasuke opened his eyes and stared at the plain ceiling above him. He felt disorientated and his skin felt like it was burning. Sasuke couldn't quite remember where he was or how he got there, as the events of the last day were jumbled in his memory. However, when he sat up and looked around, he realized where he was and why.

_Damn, back here again _he thought, as he slammed his fist into the drawer next to him in frustration. _That little idiot, if he hadn't come and distracted me I'd be long gone by now. If he thinks that he's ruined my chance at gaining power, then he better think again. No one's around, so there's no one to stop me. _

Sasuke got up and headed for the closet, where he was relived to discover that his clothes were hanging there. He quickly changed and went to the door, but then thought better of it.

_Walking through a hallway full of people probably isn't the easiest way to get out of here _he thought. Sasuke then turned around and headed out of the window. Free from the hospital, he quickly ran from the building and headed towards the gate. He was forced to dive out of the way of several other villagers, as he struggled to keep himself hidden in the middle of the day.

_I'm going to have to go the long way round _Sasuke thought, annoyed that he was going through this again. He found his way to the training field and knew that his way out was through the forest nearby. Before he could move, a figure jumped In front of Sasuke, blocking his path.

"Going somewhere?" Kakashi asked, sounding surprisingly casual given the circumstances. Sasuke just stared at his Sensei while clenching his fists.

"You think that you can stop me?" Sasuke said through gritted teeth. "You think you can watch me every second of every day? I'm going to leave no matter what you do, Kakashi!"

There was an atmosphere between the two as they glowered at each other for a few moments. When it became obvious that Kakashi wasn't going to move, Sasuke attempted to transform into the Second Stage of his Cursed Seal. However, it didn't work and Sasuke only had several black marks covering his face as his transformation failed. Kakashi then threw chains around Sasuke, wrapping him up in a twist of metal.

"I thought that I should use something a little stronger this time," Kakashi said, as he held on to the metal chains.

"You going to give me another speech? Say some more crap about letting go of hatred and moving on?" Sasuke mocked, as he continued to glare.

"No, I'm not" Kakashi replied. "I can tell that it's not going to work. I can't sway you from revenge, it's clear to me now. So, I'll have to go another route instead."

Kakashi motioned for someone to join them and a violet haired Kunoichi joined them carrying a large stack of papers.

"I'm still not sure about this Kakashi" Anko said, as she clutched the papers like they were a dangerous weapon. "I really think that we shouldn't be messing with that mark."

"I understand your concerns" Kakashi responded, "but I've made up my mind."

Anko sighed and handed over the precious documents. Without saying goodbye, she left in a blur.

"What's that?" Sasuke asked, intrigued at this change of events.

"This is all of the research that Orochimaru left behind regarding the Curse Mark" Kakashi replied, as he flicked through the papers. "If you are so desperate for power, then I insist that you let me help you, rather than going off to be with a criminal like Orochimaru. So what do you say?"

Naruto jumped up in his bed as he heard a loud bang outside of his room. White smoke clouded his window and confusion clouded his senses.

_What's going on now? Can't I have one quiet day?_

As the smoke cleared, Naruto saw a familiar figure emerge. The man had long, bushy white hair and red stripes coming down from his eyes. He had a look of mischief in his eyes and a great smile on his face as he stared into the room.

"Hey" he said, as if his everything was completely normal.

"Pervy Sage?" Naruto said, not sure whether he could believe his eyes. A few minutes of greeting and catching up followed, as Naruto relayed the story of the last few days. After he was done, the "Pervy Sage", who was better known as Jiraiya, changed the tone of the conversation to something much more serious.

"I came to talk to you about something important," Jiraiya said, as he sat on the window ledge. "You are now officially my apprentice and I'll train you one on one for the next three years."

Naruto was speechless and wasn't sure that he heard it right. Was one of the Legendary Sannin really offering to train him, the loser the village hated, one on one?

"Some information concerning the Akatsuki has come to light," Jiraiya continued, with Naruto hanging on to his every word. "They won't be coming after you for at least three to four years, which gives us time to leave and prepare you for their inevitable attack."

"Leave?" Naruto asked, suddenly sounding unsure about this tempting proposition. "You want me to leave this place? What about Sasuke, he's just got back to the village? What if he tried to leave again? I can't leave now, I-"

"Why not?" Jiraiya asked. "You think you're that important to the village? Listen, Kakashi is with Sasuke now and he'll watch him, you can count on that. Sakura's going to be training with Tsunade from now on, so it's not like your team is staying together. You need to start thinking about yourself Naruto. If the Akatsuki get you, you'll die."

Naruto was forced to think about Jiraiya's words and realized that, once again, the old man was right. Although, Naruto wasn't prepared to admit it.

"Fine, I'll go" Naruto said, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "So that, when I get back, I'll be able to kick Sasuke's ass!"

Jiraiya chuckled as he listened to his new student's excited voice.

"Well, whatever the reason, we're leaving tomorrow. So, you best get your things together because I want to be gone by noon."

With that, Jiraiya disappeared in a cloud of smoke and left Naruto to think about the journey ahead of him.

The next day, Naruto found himself sat in Ichiraku's Ramen Shop, his favourite place to eat. Iruka Sensei, his former academy teacher, was sit next to him paying the bill. He felt so nostalgic sat there, even though the last time Iruka bought him food was only a few months ago. Things had changed so much since then that it felt like a different life altogether.

"So, it's going to be a long trip then?' Iruka said, as he finished off his bowl.

"Yep, sure is!" Naruto replied his mouth filled with noodles. Before the conversation could go any further, Jiraiya walked into the shop.

"Let's get going Naruto," he said, trying to stamp his authority early.

"Okay!" Naruto replied, as he downed the rest of his bowl quickly. "See you Iruka Sensei, thanks for the ramen!"

As Naruto walked out the door and down the street with Jiraiya, Iruka watched him from the shop. He thought about the little boy that couldn't even do a simple transformation jutsu and begged Iruka to give him his headband. Sometimes, Iruka missed that kid but mostly he felt nothing but pride.

_Do your best, Naruto _he thought, as headed back to the academy building.

As they reached the gate, Naruto turned and looked back at the Hokage Mountain. He raised his fist and pointed it towards the Fourth Hokage, whom he admired the most.

"Just you watch me," Naruto said under his breath. The action didn't go unnoticed by Jiraiya, who stared at Naruto. He was about to tell Naruto something, before thinking better of it. Telling him now would only be a distraction from the serious work ahead.

"Naruto!" a familiar voice called out from near the gate. "We're here to see you off!"

Sakura was standing at the gate with Lady Tsunade, Kakashi and a reluctant Sasuke. Naruto shook hands and received hugs of good luck from the other three, before coming face to face with Sasuke. They hadn't spoke since their battle and neither seemed eager to break that trend.

"You know Sasuke" Naruto began, "after three years of training with one of the Sannin, I'll be far stronger than you!"

Sasuke pulled a face, before turning to a small smile. They make act like they hate each other, but the two Genin clearly understood each other.

"We'll see about that in three years time then" Sasuke replied, as he began to walk away. "Come on Kakashi, we have work to do."

Kakashi sighed as he started after his student.

"He better not think that he can talk to me like that for the next three years," he said, as he gave Naruto one last wave. Naruto, though, continued to look at Sasuke walking in the distance.

_Three years it is then _he thought, as Naruto and Jiraiya left the confines of the village and began their journey.


	3. Arrivals

Chapter 3: Arrivals

The sun shone brightly over the Hidden Leaf Village, as another day of hard work and dangerous missions began. Not much had changed over the past three years, with Tsunade's face being added to the Hokage Mountain the only noticeable difference. Tsunade herself was sat in a large room with several of her advisors, as she dealt with a particularly enthusiastic Genin team.

"For the last time" she yelled, deciding not to pull any punches with the rookies, "you'll go on the missions that I decide and you'll be happy about it!"

The young, brown haired and wide-eyed boy sat crossed legged on the floor and pouted his lips. He certainly wasn't impressed with Tsunade's decision and felt that he should make his feelings known.

"Listen!" the boy named Konohamaru demanded, "as a well respected and powerful ninja, I deserve to go on tougher missions than chasing after lost cats and doing gardening!"

At this point, several of the other Shinobi in the room exchanged nervous glances and shook their heads slowly. This was becoming an all too familiar situation during assignment handouts and it was becoming rather wearisome. Before Tsunade could respond, Konohamaru's team leader Ebisu spoke up, his voice panicked and strained.

"That it is no way to speak to the Hokage, Konohamaru. You will be grateful for the missions that you receive and respect her wishes."

"Whatever" Konohamaru replied, before jumping out the window and running off. His blatant disregard for all of the rules and regulations were frowned upon by most of the top brass but Tsunade saw it as a funny personality quirk that she admired. People were too serious, especially most Shinobi. People like that were required to restore some balance.

"He's so impatient and doesn't take anything seriously," Iruka said, as he scowled in the general direction of the window. "Out of all of the students I've ever taught, he has to be the most reckless. Well, apart from-"

"Naruto" Tsunade said, finishing the sentence. "He's been gone so long now that you could almost forget him. Three years it's been since we've seen that beaming face brighten these sometimes-dreary rooms. He should be back any day now, come to think of it. Last time I heard from Jiraiya, they'd started preparing to return."

Iruka and Tsunade both thought about the young boy that had wormed his way into their hearts, before leaving with Jiraiya in order to train. They knew it was for the best, but that didn't stop them from yearning for his return. Three years down the line and the time for yearning had come to an end. It was surely time for him to come home.

The enormous gates that lay outside the village were open and inviting as they lead the way to the welcoming sight inside. Hundreds of travellers, villagers and Shinobi walked in and out of the gate every day, but on this particular day two important people strode across the threshold and took in a view they hadn't seen in a long time.

"It's been about two and a half years at least," the smaller one said, as he looked at the sites all around him, fascinated. As the two walked past, several villagers pointed and whispered. Rumors quickly spread about their arrival and there was even groups of people who ran to their location, desperate to just catch a glimpse of the famous duo.

"I'd say it's closer to three, but math was never your strong suit" the taller and far older man replied, as he watched his young protégé's gleeful movements. He eventually ran up a nearby lamp pole and scanned the entire village.

_He's certainly cheerful today_ the older man thought, as his blonde haired apprentice screamed out from atop his perch.

"I missed this place so much and it hasn't changed a bit!" Naruto yelled, as he spread his arms out in joy. However, he then had to refine his statement after taking a closer look at the mountain in the distance. "Hey, they added Granny Tsunade's face to the mountain!"

"Well, haven't you changed?" a voice called out from a nearby rooftop. Naruto looked across, before producing another huge grin.

"Kakashi Sensei! You haven't changed at all" he cried and then joined his former teacher on the roof. Kakashi had his nose in another of Jiraiya's books, which reminded Naruto of the present in his bag. "Oh yeah, I got this for you!" Naruto took a hardback book out of his bag and handed it Kakashi, who stared in surprise.

"No way, don't tell me that it's-"

"The first copy of Make Out Tactics to be released in three years" Naruto said proudly. "It's really boring, but I know you like this stuff."

Jiraiya seemed less than impressed by the way Naruto described his masterpiece and he turned away to sulk.

_That little idiot, I wouldn't expect him to understand the value of that book. It's not even been released to the public yet!_

After Kakashi and Jiraiya got reacquainted, the three of them travelled together down the street. Naruto's excitement got the better of him again, as he began running through the crowds.

"All right, next stop: Ichiraku's Ramen!" he chanted, as he pumped his fist in adulation. The two older Shinobi stayed back and Kakashi had already begun reading his new book.

"As promised" Jiraiya started "I'll return Naruto to your care. I fear that the Akatsuki have already began to move, so I'll head out to gather more Intel."

"Sounds like a good idea" Kakashi said, as he nodded his head in agreement. "Don't worry, I can take care of things from here on out."

"So, how have things been going so far?" Jiraiya asked, as he studied Kakashi for a moment. "With Sasuke?"

Kakashi looked up from his book for a second and then opened his mouth to speak. However, before he could even make a noise, Naruto's loud scream interrupted him.

"Sakura?" he cried out, as he stared wide-eyed at the pink haired Kunoichi that was standing in front of him. The years had clearly changed Sakura, who was now taller and slightly more muscular. She still had those brilliant green eyes and her outfit had only changed slightly, with a pair of boots and gloves the biggest upgrade. She also appeared surprised, as she studied the boy in front of her.

"Naruto?" she replied, as she walked over to where he was standing. "Well, how do I look? Do I seem more like a woman now?"

Naruto considered for a moment how she should answer that question. Deciding that he was better off playing it safe, he gave off the only response he thought wouldn't lead to him getting hit.

"You look fine! You haven't changed at all actually!"

Sakura pulled a face and clenched her fist, ready to unleash her anger on the unsuspecting Naruto.

_No, I'll hold off. He's only just got back, so I'll let that one slide. _

"Wait, are you taller than me?" Sakura said, as she compared Naruto's height to her own. Naruto did likewise and Sakura took the chance to get a good look at him.

_He looks so different! With that new jumpsuit and his extra height, he really gives off an aura of strength. Just how much stronger have you got?_

"Hey Naruto!" a voice called out, as a group of white smoke appeared in the middle of the street. As it cleared, a beautiful brown haired woman was left standing there, her naked body just about covered with well-placed fog. The woman soon disappeared and was replaced by the cheeky face of Konohamaru.

"How was that? A real awesome jutsu, huh?" Konohamaru asked, desperate for Naruto's approval. Naruto just smiled, before addressing the kid.

"I don't use that kind of jutsu anymore, I'm not some immature child" Naruto began, his words stunning the entire group. "You shouldn't use it either, it's beneath you."

_So, Naruto's matured in more than just appearance. What other secrets have you got up your sleeve? Some amazing new jutsu, I hope, _Sakura thought happily.

"That jutsu is mediocre now Konohamaru, come on!" Naruto yelled, as he raised his fist in anger. "Just you watch I've got this new pervy ninjutsu I've been developing. So, why don't you sit back while a master gets to work?"

_Yeah, that's right, a new jutsu. A new pervy-_

"Pervy ninjutsu?" Sakura shouted, as she interrupted her own thoughts. She then proceeded to hit Naruto in the face in anger and send her confused teammate straight into the nearest wall.

"Wow, Jiraiya" Tsunade said, as she observed the events. "Naruto's become even more like you over these last few years."

_Like you can talk _Jiraiya thought, not daring to voice his opinions out loud. _With that quick temper and monster strength, you've turned Sakura into a clone of yourself. _

"Well, I was right then" a mysterious voice called out from the tree that was next to the group. "I heard an incredibly annoying voice shouting a few minutes ago, so there was only person it could be. So, you've returned then, Naruto?"

The boy dropped down from the tree and joined the rest of the group on the ground. He had black hair that came down to the shoulders, which matched his penetrating eyes. His white shirt was opened slightly to reveal his chest, which he wore with blue pants. The hilt of a katana was just about visible and that's where his right hand rested. Naruto's eyes lit up when he saw him, as the last of his reunions were complete.

"That's right, Sasuke" Naruto replied, as he immediately switched to a cockier attitude. "So, you heard my voice and couldn't wait to see me? How touching."

"Hn, don't get ahead of yourself" Sasuke mocked, "I'm only here because Kakashi told me to meet him. Seeing you again is just an unexpected drawback."

Sakura and Kakashi both rolled their eyes as they listened to them go back and forth like this. They hadn't seen each other in three years, but they were able to pick up where they left off instantly.

"That's enough arguing" Kakashi said, as he reached into his pocket. To the surprise of Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke, he pulled out two familiar looking bells.

"I presume that you remember the rules of the test I'm going to be putting you through?" he teased, as he looked up from his book so that he could see the reactions of his students.

"So, it's the Bell Test again" Sasuke said, sounding incredibly unenthusiastic. "I'm guessing we'll have to do more than show teamwork to pass this time, right?"

Kakashi nodded to confirm Sasuke's suspicions. Despite the moody Uchiha's apparent lack of interest, the news of the test was met with excitement from Naruto and Sakura.

"So, when do we start? Right now?" Naruto asked, as he adjusted his headband in anticipation.

"Oh, no you just got back" Kakashi said, "I'll let you rest a little and let you guys get reacquainted. Meet me at the training field about 30 minutes before sundown we'll start then. Until then." With that, Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"What?" Tsunade said, as she frowned at the place Kakashi had just been standing. "He told me earlier that you'd get started straight away. Why has he suddenly decided to change his mind?"

"I think I know" Jiraiya said, chuckling as he spoke.

"He wants to go read that book" Sasuke sighed, apparently used to his Sensei's ways by now. "It's not like it matters though, we can spend the next few hours planning a strategy."

"We could do that" Naruto began, "or we could go and get some ramen and catch up with everyone. I vote for the second idea, so let's go!" Naruto then ran off before Sasuke had the chance to disapprove of his idea with Sakura soon following. Sasuke put his hand on his forehead and then breathed out heavily.

"He's been back 5 minutes and he's already driving me crazy" he sighed, as he walked slowly after his teammates. After a minute or so of running around aimlessly, he spotted a familiar person standing around outside an official building.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled, "Shikamaru! It's me, I'm back!"

Shikamaru turned his head slightly to the left, although with the amount of strain that could be seen on his face you'd have thought that he would be undergoing strenuous exercise.

"Naruto!" he exclaimed, surprised at seeing his friend standing right in front of him. "So, have you just got home?"

"Pretty much" Naruto said, as he put his arms behind his head to adopt a more laid back pose. He then noticed a Sand Kunoichi leave the building behind them and stand next to Shikamaru. He recognized her as Gaara's sister, although he couldn't remember the name. He then decided not to say anything to her, as he'd had enough of being hit by girls for one day.

"So, are you two on a date or what?" Naruto whispered, hoping that Temari couldn't hear.

"Wrong as usual" Shikamaru said, "you haven't changed that much have you? Temari is here for the Chunnin Exams, which I've some how ended up being an examiner for." Shikamaru spoke as if that was the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone.

"I'm just passing through to help organize things from our end" Temari added, sounding slightly more upbeat about her duties.

"Chunnin Exams huh? That brings back memories," Naruto said, as a sudden feeling of nostalgia swept over him.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Shikamaru asked.

"What do you mean?" Naruto said, who was unsurprisingly confused.

"About the exams" Shikamaru replied, "you're the only one from our year who hasn't passed them."

The news took a few seconds to register with Naruto, as he processed the information. At first, it seemed that he had taken in quite well and handled it maturely.

"What!" Naruto yelled, completely ruining his previous composure. "I'm the only one? Sakura, that means you're a Chunnin?"

"Yep" Sakura beamed, as she gave Naruto a thumb up that he didn't appreciate. Sasuke then arrived, looking completely uninterested in the conversation.

"Sasuke, don't tell me that you're a Chunnin as well?" Naruto asked, fearing the answer.

"No, I'm not a Chunnin" Sasuke responded, to Naruto's relief.

"Yeah, Sasuke, along with Temari, Kankuro and Neji have all been made Jonin!" Shikamaru said, either not realizing or not caring about the pain that brought Naruto. A small smile came across Sasuke's face as he watched Naruto's depressed reaction.

"Wait" Naruto said, realizing that there was one name missing from the list. "What about Gaara? What did Gaara become?"

Heat from the sun bore down on the two figures walking across the desert. Their black capes with red clouds couldn't have helped keep them cool, but they mostly seemed unaffected by the sweltering conditions, with the frosty atmosphere between them possibly keeping them cool.

"So, the ones that Orochimaru manipulated should be ahead, right?" the tall, blonde haired man asked.

"We've been through this Deidera," his hunched back companion growled. "If everything goes according to plan, we should meet them when we get there."

Deidera frowned as he listened to his mentor's words. He hated being talked down to by people, as if he was inferior.

"Well, you can't blame me for being worried," Deidera responded, "one of these subordinates has apparently turned traitor and has been shooting his mouth off and leaking information, hmph."

"We can't really help that" the smaller man replied, "We'll just have to see what he's like after releasing the jutsu. Speaking of which, are you sure what you have in that pouch will be sufficient?"

"Don't worry about that" Deidera reassured his partner, "this particular piece of art is one of my favorites and it should do the trick. My opponent is the One Tail so I won't be underestimating him. Also, I have to make sure I don't keep you waiting, don't I Sasori my man?"

Sasori groaned as they reached the entrance to the Sand Village. They had been informed that Jiraiya of the Sannin had been warning the other villages about their moves, so they expected the possibly of facing ANBU at the gate. However, only one single Shinobi met them at the gate, covered in blood and surrounded by dead bodies.

"Very good" Sasori said, "So you remember me Yura?"

"Of course Lord Sasori!" Yura gushed, as he kneeled in front of his master.

"Alright then, here we go!" Deidera declared, as he pulled a ball of clay from his pouch. Revealing the mouth that lay in his palm, he appeared to chew the clay before spitting out a small clay bird.

"Make sure you and your boyfriend watch me Sasori" Deidera teased, as the small bird suddenly came to life. As it began to fly away, Deidera made a hand seal and the small animal grew to a size big enough for Deidera to stand on it. The bird then set off into the sky and Deidera scanned his surroundings with his telescopic eye.

_1…. 2… 3. Three guards watching the skies _Deidera thought, as he created three more clay bombs, this time in the shape of spiders. _This village's artistic design isn't too bad, definitely worth destroying. _

Deidera dropped his spiders onto the three Shinobi and watched as they crawled upon his victims. As he watched, he thought he heard one of them call his creations "weird things."

"Weird things? Well you've got no taste" Deidera said to himself, as his weapons got themselves into position. "Guess I'll have to teach you about art, then. Lesson One, art is an explosion!"

With that, the three spiders instantly exploded and killed their victims. Deidera had eliminated the spies who were most likely to spot him and had given him free reign over the sky.

_Guess that was the only lesson _Deidera thought, as he descended towards the nearest roof. Once he had landed, he smiled to himself.

"Infiltration successful" he said, rather proud of the job that he had done.

"This is as far as you go" came a soft voice from in front of him. Deidera looked up and saw a red haired boy standing there. The black marks around his eyes were a testament to his identity and Deidera recognized who it was straight away.

"Lord Kazekage" he said, displaying mock respect. "I guess you've made this a little easier for me, hmph."

The Team 7 members made it to the training ground on time, although their opponent was nowhere to be found. They had expected as much and took the chance to finally discuss tactics, which they had neglected to do earlier, much to Sasuke's annoyance.

"It shouldn't be that tough" Naruto declared confidently. "With the three of us as strong as we are now, we should get those bells without eve trying."

Sasuke let out a small laugh after Naruto had finished his show of confidence.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," he said, mocking his apparently less well-informed teammate.

"Well, why don't you fill me in?" Naruto asked.

"Kakashi is far stronger than you think," Sasuke replied, "I'd say that apart from Jiraiya and maybe the Hokage, Kakashi is by far the strongest Shinobi in this village. You're about to a lesson in what it means to be truly strong."

"Then why do you still seem confident?" Naruto enquired, noticing that Sasuke's calm demeanor was clashing with his words of caution.

"Because, unlike you, I'm strong enough to keep up," Sasuke taunted, as he turned away from his furious teammate. Before Naruto could respond, Kakashi arrived with his nose still in a book.

"So, you guys ready then?" Kakashi said, as he continued reading.

"You still think you can beat us while reading a book?" Naruto asked, as he tightened his headband.

"Oh no, I was just finishing the chapter" Kakashi responded, before putting the book back into his pouch. "This time, I have a feeling that I should take things a little more seriously." Kakashi then pulled his forehead protector up and revealed the Sharingan that was his left eye. The test had begun.


	4. Gaara's Last Stand

Chapter 4: Gaara's Last Stand

Wasting no time, Naruto threw a bunch of Shiruken at Kakashi, which were easily dodged. The Copy Ninja then responded by barraging Shiruken at Naruto, who jumped to avoid the deadly attack. However, Kakashi wasn't done and he fired another group at the unsuspecting Shinobi, who found himself caught in the air.

_Damn, I fell for it _Naruto thought as he derided himself. _Well, I have one way of saving myself here. Shadow Clone Ju-_

Before Naruto could cast his jutsu, Sasuke's own Shiruken deflected the weapons. The Uchiha smiled as Naruto became frustrated at Sasuke's interference.

"I don't need you to save me, Sasuke" Naruto yelled, as he completed his jutsu.

"Transform!" he yelled, as the clone suddenly became a giant Shiruken. Although, before he could use it, Naruto found himself ambushed by Kakashi. Unable to move, it appeared that his teacher had caught him from behind. Though, the situation changed when the experienced Shinobi felt a sharp force tap his back.

"Looks like you were the one getting caught by cheap tricks this time, Kakashi" Sasuke muttered, as he watched Naruto's clone sneak up on his mentor.

"You have matured a little, haven't you Naruto?" Kakashi said, chuckling as he spoke. "But, you're still as impatient as ever. I didn't even get a chance to say start yet. Now, let's start for real."

With that, Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Standing with his arms folded, Sasuke scanned the area with his Sharingan to detect his opponent.

_Right…Above…Left…Behind _Sasuke said to himself, as he rejected each possibility. _Then that must mean that he's _

"Below!" Sakura yelled, finishing by smashing her fist into the ground. Sitting beneath the surface was a frightened looking Kakashi, who clearly hadn't expected to be discovered so quickly.

_The Fifth Hokage has clearly been teaching her more than medical ninjutsu. She concentrates chakra into her fists and then releases all of it at once on impact. She definitely seems to have the ability to surpass her mentor. _

"Alright" Kakashi groaned as he stood up. "I guess it's my turn to go on the offensive now."

"Not quite!" Sasuke yelled, as he fell from the sky with his katana raised above his head. He brought it down towards Kakashi, who blocked with a small sword that he withdrew from a sheath on his back.

_Wait, when did Kakashi Sensei get that sword? _Naruto thought, as Kakashi and Sasuke pushed their weapons against each other. As they continued to struggle, their swords lit up with lightning as they channeled their chakra through the metal. The two waves of electricity clashed and created what resembled a small storm.

_Come on Naruto _Sasuke thought, as he struggled to hold on. _Any second now will be fine. _

Eventually, Sasuke's original plan was put in motion and a large group of Naruto's Shadow Clones jumped from the trees. Kakashi was surrounded and completely outnumbered and success appeared to be only a moment away. That was, until Kakashi's body was replaced with one of Naruto's clones.

"You're such an idiot Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, punching the clone in front of him to make it disappear. "He knew that you were there because you took too long to attack! I knew that I shouldn't have trusted you with an important role."

"Well, you weren't perfect you know!" Naruto replied in a similar fashion. "I had to wait that long because you didn't give me an opening. I thought you'd be able to push Kakashi Sensei into a position I could exploit?"

"You try to fight him one on one next time then!" Sasuke responded, at which point Sakura walked in between the two of them.

"Can we please just get back to work?" Sakura pleaded, becoming frustrated. "Sasuke, can you please figure out where he is."

"I already have" Sasuke said, his Sharingan active. "He's by the water over there. Tactically, it's a good position for him. We won't be able to sneak up on him, so it's going to have to be an open attack."

"Alright, that's my favourite kind!" Naruto cried, as he rushed over. His teammates followed, albeit reluctantly in Sasuke's case. When they reached the lake, Naruto dove straight into an attack by summoning twenty clones. Unsurprisingly, Kakashi repelled them all with a combination of taijutsu and water based ninjutsu. Just as Kakashi was about to finish Naruto off with a Water Dragon Jutsu, the same attack collided with the Copy Ninja's and protected Naruto from harm.

"I should be careful how often I do this" Sasuke said slyly, still holding the Bird seal he had used to cast the technique. "If I copy techniques too often, I'll become more famous than you which would obviously upset you, right?"

"Maybe you should pay more attention to your surroundings, rather than showing off" Kakashi replied, as a water clone attacked Sasuke. Before contact could be made, Sakura attacked the clone and dispelled it. The students began to realize that they were a little outmatched, especially as Kakashi was more adept at manipulating the water.

"So, should we use my plan then rather than Naruto's ridiculous non idea?" Sasuke asked his teammates, who didn't put up an argument. Taking that as a sign of approval, Sasuke adopted a stance with his arm pointing into the air and his knee at a right angle to his body.

"Hidden Mist Jutsu" he whispered, as a thick fog soon covered the surrounding area.

_Of course he copied me using that jutsu, that kid doesn't miss anything _Kakashi thought, as he stared into the impenetrable mist. _He's now looking to blind my Sharingan, but then again that also hinders himself. Also, they aren't masters of the silent kill technique so they can't utilize this jutsu properly. Actually, I can hear them moving around right now._

Kakashi deflected the Shiruken that came from the fog and then dealt with three of Naruto's Shadow Clones that soon followed. He then heard a familiar sound, as if there were hundreds of birds chirping.

_He thinks using Chidori will help here? It just gives away his position and allows me to counter him. Sasuke must be getting desperate._

However, Sasuke didn't come out of the mist. Instead, Kakashi heard and felt a disturbance in the water followed by the vibrations of a current running through the liquid.

_He's using the water to channel the attack! Looks like I'll have to take this to the air._

Kakashi then jumped off the water's surface and into the sky, where he was saw Sasuke hurtling through the air towards him with his palm lit up with white lightning. Seeing an opening, Kakashi grabbed Sasuke's wrist and extinguished the technique. While still in the air, Sakura jumped up from the floor and aimed a punch at her Sensei, who was forced to grab her wrist as well. Realizing his mistake, Kakashi tried to throw his students away but it was no good. They had latched onto his arms and restricted his movement completely. Although, he did still have the use of his legs.

_Against anyone else, this wouldn't be as much of a problem. However, this is Naruto so I'll have to try to defend myself against an army of clones with only my legs. Looks like this strategy was more thought out than it seemed. _

Sure enough, dozens of clones jumped up and aimed for the bells attached to Kakashi's belt. The Jonin kicked out and the clones dispersed but it soon became obvious that he wouldn't be able to keep it up.

_Well, I guess they've got me _Kakashi thought as he eventually felt the bells being snatched from their resting place. _They're all grown up._

Deidera had to move fast to avoid the wave of sand that rushed towards him from his right. Luckily, his clay bird was still flying above him and he was able to just about land on top of it and hover above to safety.

_He's not kidding around _Deidera thought, as he caught his breath. _I guess he isn't the type to play when he fights. Oh well, we're playing by my rules here and this will go how I want. _

Gaara moved his arm to the right and the sand followed his movements. Deidera was forced to move and the sand chased behind him. He ducked and dived between buildings and twisted through the air but the sand continued to follow. Getting an idea, he flew straight up into the air hoping that the sand's range would be too limited to follow. It appeared that he was right, as the sand soon stopped pursuing him.

_So, that it's range. Shouldn't be too much of a problem to stay at this distance._

The sand moved down and Gaara jumped on top of it, allowing him to join Deidera in the air.

_This Jinchuriki is rather useful isn't he? Maybe this will be fun._

"How did you know it was me?" Deidera asked, intrigued as to how he was discovered so easily.

"I know this desert better than anyone and I know that no bird like that one is native to these lands" Gaara replied.

"Well, it sounds like my infiltration was a failure then" Deidera said dramatically. "Although, it did save me from having to find you so I guess things worked out for the best."

_He's after me, what for? _Gaara thought, although he kept his shock to himself. Deciding that he'd had enough of talking, Gaara raised his hands and summoned a great wall of sand. Deidera, who had been creating small explosives in his hand while talking, was caught of guard and forced to get moving.

_As I expected, he has the geographical advantage. I can't get careless here, as this is pretty risky _he thought, as the sand came after him once again. The sand turned into an enormous, monstrous arm that was reaching out after it's pray. Deidera rummaged into his clay reserves and quickly made more explosives.

_These will be faster than the last _he reassured himself and threw the weapons at the sand following him.

_How problematic, he seems to use explosives as homing missiles. They'll be hard to avoid _Gaara realized, as he analyzed his opponent. The missiles darted past the sand and headed straight for the Kazekage, who retained his nonchalant appearance. Once they were within range, the explosives detonated and covered the area with smoke.

"Gaara!" came the cry from below, as Deidera noticed that a crowd had gathered to observe their fight. The shout appeared to have come from a man wearing purple face paint and a black outfit.

_That's the Jinchurki's brother, if I'm not mistaken. Interesting, it appears that someone does care about him. Good, my art becomes much more appreciated when there's a connection to the audience. _

Deidera readied himself to go and collect his prey's lifeless body, but was stopped in his tracks when he saw what was floating there. Rather than a body to be collected, there was a great ball of sand and an eye floating above it.

_It's kind of like an eggshell that protects its insides. Still, to be able to protect against all of that is impressive. What do they call this again? Oh yeah, that's right it's the ultimate defense. Time to see just how ultimate it is. _

As Deidera thought about this, he didn't notice that the wall of sand was closing all around him. He saw the light in front of him fading fast as his gap for escape was closing before him.

_This is bad; I'm going to have to jump for it. _

He was just about able to squeeze his body through the quickly diminishing hole and in to freedom. Before he had the chance to summon another bird, Deidera noticed that a hole had opened up in Gaara's sphere of sand. As he wondered where this sand had gone, it covered his arm up to his shoulder.

"Shit!" Deidera yelled out, as Gaara made his open hand into a fist. The cracking of bones and spilling of blood could be heard and seen from the ground below. Deidera yelled out in pain, but he didn't let it distract him completely as he summoned yet another bird. Given that the sand had completely torn his arm from his body, he was able to break free from its grasp.

_Sasori, you bastard you didn't tell me that the sand in his gourd was different from normal sand. It's almost like you want me to get killed. It's quicker and far more powerful than the sand he uses from the desert, probably because it's fused with his powerful chakra. It's also why his defense is seen as so powerful as well. I'm down on clay, looks like I'll have to use my special weapon. _

Standing on the rooftops below, the Sand Jonin watched with baited breath as the battled raged on. Two in particular were incredibly tense, as they were far closer to the Kazekage than the rest.

"Judging by the techniques he's using and the apparent difficulty of this battle, it seems that he's battling a member of the Akatsuki" Baki said, as he tried to keep his composure.

"Just as I thought," Kankuro replied, "So what are we going to do to help him?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan" Baki responded, before turning to the rest of the group. "Prepare for battle! Medics set up a barrier and guide the villagers inside. The rest of you, get to your positions as fast as possible!"

After finishing his orders, Baki shot Kankuro a nervous look.

"What is it?" Kankuro asked his old Sensei.

"What if Gaara goes crazy again. What if the Shukaku is unleashed? We no longer have anyone that can subdue the beast."

Kankuro had to work hard to keep the swelling anger within him under control. If anyone else had asked him that, Kankuro wouldn't have stayed as calm. However, Baki knew almost as well as Kankuro how much Gaara had changed, so he gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"Gaara would never harm the people of this village," Kankuro said defiantly, as he thought back to the conversation he had with his younger brother a couple of years before.

_The respect and happiness of the people of this village means far too much to him._

Gaara watched from his position of relative safety as the blonde haired man pulled something out of his sack. He couldn't quite make out what it was, but if the rest of this fight were anything to go by, it wouldn't be good.

_I might have to recall my sand if he fires that at me _Gaara thought, as he prepared himself for that situation.

"You're still sitting there, looking so cool!" Deidera yelled, feigning a mental breakdown. "Well, I think it's time I changed that expression on your face. I'm going to use this to destroy your little village."

At first, Gaara was unconcerned. It appeared that frustration was getting the better of his opponent and that he was bluffing. His explosive seemed unimpressive and Gaara's sand that he already had out there would be sufficient. Then, the explosive suddenly expanded to an enormous size, something that was far bigger than anything shown before.

_If the power of the explosive is linked to the size, then that'll definitely destroy the village! _Gaara realized, suddenly panicked. Before he fully recovered from the shock, the bomb was dropped towards his home. He heard the screams of panic from his fellow Shinobi, the order of his Sensei to move and the cocky celebrations of his opponent. As the deadly weapon neared the ground, Gaara thought about everything he was about to lose. His brother, his teacher and all the Shinobi who looked up to him were all about to perish. The beautiful academy building and the ancient structures that surrounded this noble village would be lost in history. The children that he was charged to lead and protect would be killed before they even had the chance to grow.

_No _Gaara said to himself, _I will not let this happen. This village will not fall while under my care. I am the Kazekage and I will protect my home!_

"You're all too late" Deidera screamed in delight, as he detonated his ultimate attack. The range of the explosion was extraordinary, even bigger than Deidera had remembered. It covered the entire village, condemning it to destruction. Yet, when the smoke cleared Deidera found that the Kazekage had denied him yet again. A giant shield of sand covered the village, protecting them from harm. Gaara himself was visibly tired from the ordeal, as he panted loudly and sweated excessively.

"Now he's within range," Deidera said, as a small bird flew into the open hole and exploded before Gaara had noticed. Sand sprayed everywhere in the aftermath but Gaara had avoided harm. His defense was completed again and the hole was covered up.

"That sand sure moves fast," Deidera said, loud enough for Gaara to hear. "Then again, I expected that you would use that sand to protect yourself."

Gaara was still gasping from within his defense, although he was thankful that his defense had come to his aid.

_That sand is still above the village, I need to move it before it drops again. First though, I'll need to deal with him. _

Just as Gaara was about to move his sand to attack, he noticed small grains of sand begin to fall from his structure. As he studied the source of the disturbance, he noticed that small white creatures were burrowing through. He realized all too late what they were and couldn't react to it.

"Shi-"

Gaara was cut off as the bombs exploded from within the defense and he took the full force of the detonation. The defense crumbled all around him and fell to the floor, the first time it had ever completely failed. Gaara knew what had happened, it appeared so obvious. When he tore off the arm, these bombs were implanted within the sand, which he then applied to his defense.

_Nothing I can do about it now _Gaara thought, as the sand around him fell to the ground. _There's only one thing I can do for the village._

Deidera observed his opponents last action as he flew over to collect his prize, laughing as he did.

"Typical Kage, protecting the village above all else" he said, his voice portraying no sign of admiration at all. "It would have been easier to let that sand fall on them, rather than wasting your strength move it away. Oh well, I suppose it doesn't matter. I've beaten you anyway."

Once the sand had been moved safely away, Gaara collapsed and he plummeted through the air. Deidera collected him before he hit the ground, wrapping him up in his clay bird's tail.

"Best get back to Sasori before he starts complaining" he said, as he headed back towards the entrance to the village.

_It's a shame that I couldn't blow this place up though; it would have made me so famous. Oh well, there's always next time. _

"Kankuro, he beat Gaara what do you hope to accomplish on your own!" Baki yelled, trying to stop his student from running to his death.

"So you want to just abandon Gaara?" Kankuro angrily responded, his pain clear in his voice. Baki realized that he wouldn't be able to stop him, so he decided that he would at least try to minimize the damage.

"No, don't say something like that!" Baki yelled back, slightly insulted at the accusation. "Fine, follow them but do not engage them. If you can find their base, then we can plan a rescue mission from there."

"Fine" Kankuro said, not even trying to sound convincing. He had gotten permission and that was all that mattered. As for Baki, he was left wondering if he was about to lose two precious students in the course of a few hours. Trying to focus on something else, he turned to his subordinates.

"Send a pursuit team to follow Kankuro immediately" he said, "and send a message to the Hidden Leaf Village about the situation. We are now in a state of emergency and we must act fast!"

As the Jonin and Chunnin rushed around following orders, Baki paused to reflect on the mess that had unfolded.

_The Akatsuki have finally struck and they almost brought down this village with only one man. It seems that this is only the start of something terrible. _


	5. An S Rank Mission

Chapter 5: An S Rank Mission

Kakashi walked over to the designated meeting place, completely oblivious to the rising anger that would greet him. Sure, he knew was a little late but he thought that his team wouldn't really hold it against him. After all, they'd known each other for over three years and he expected they would be used to it. However, he soon found that he was completely wrong.

"You're late!" Naruto yelled, as if he had been expecting anything else.

"Well, I had to fill out paperwork for the new team, so-"

"Today we start our first mission as a team again!" Naruto said, cutting off his teacher. "Be enthusiastic! Man Kakashi Sensei, you've been like this for ages!"

"Just let it go, there's nothing we can do about his lack of enthusiasm," Sakura said joining in with the fun. Sasuke stood by the tree, clearly not wanting to get involved in the rather childish argument unfolding before him. As he listened to his two students make a mockery of him, Kakashi noticed a large brown bird heading towards the Postal Centre.

_That looks like the Carrier Bird for the Sand Village _Kakashi thought. _They only send that particular hawk for urgent dispatches. Something serious must have happened. _

"Look at him, now he won't even pay attention to us!" Sakura shouted, her sentiments being rigorously backed by Naruto.

"Can't we just go and get our mission?" Sasuke asked, as he began walking towards the Hokage's office without the approval of the rest. His team soon chased after him, just as he knew they would. After a couple of minutes, Sasuke had drifted towards the back of the group and Naruto was running ahead.

_Some things will never change _Kakashi thought, chuckling to himself as he did. Just after they entered the academy building, a worried looking woman ran straight past without even trying to warn the oncoming crowd. Naruto spent the next few minutes cursing her but the panicked look on her face had Kakashi very concerned.

_So, they've called in the Cypher Corps? Things are definitely bad then. I'll have to ask the Hokage later. _

Kakashi scanned the expressions of the elders as he entered the room and noticed that there was a nervous look on many of their faces, which seemed a cause for concern. He definitely wanted to know what they were so nervous about.

"Now then, Team Kakashi" Tsunade began, as she searched through the notes in front of her. "I've picked an easy mission for you, so you can get back into the swing of things. It's just a C – Rank escort mission to the Land of Iron, offering basic protection from bandits and such. Here's the brief for you to look at."

She had intended to give the slip of paper to Kakashi, but Naruto intercepted it on the way. As he scanned the words, Kakashi realized what the nervous tension was really about. They weren't worried about any message that was sent from the Sand Village, they may not even know about it yet. They were worried about Naruto's reaction to this mission.

"No, we don't want this mission thanks" Naruto said, as he handed back the brief to Tsunade as if it were a bad bowl of ramen. Tsunade wasn't impressed and everyone else in the room could tell.

"What kind of a response is that?" Tsunade groaned.

"You haven't matured at all, have you Naruto?" Iruka added, as he shook his head. Sakura and Sasuke held Naruto back and beat him over the head, as both of them were very aware of how harsh Tsunade could be when she's disrespected. Kakashi walked over to retrieve the mission, when the door burst open and the Cypher Corps member from earlier ran in.

"Lady Hokage" she gasped, clearly exhausted. "We just received a message from the Sand Village. The Kazekage has been kidnapped by an organization called Akatsuki and they've requested our assistance."

The news impacted the different people in the room in various ways. Naruto didn't quite understand what it meant; until he remembered the news he was given the day before.

_Wait, Gaara's the Kazekage! So, instead of coming after me, those bastards have taken him. Well, don't you worry Gaara; I'll make sure that you return home. _

As for Sasuke, he took the news just as hard. In fact, as soon as the word Akatsuki was spoken, his Sharingan activated and he clenched his fist tightly.

_The Akatsuki? I wonder if Itachi had anything to do with this. Either way, it doesn't matter because this is the perfect opportunity to find out where he is. I'm coming brother; so enjoy the last few days of your life. _

Kakashi just sighed and shook his head. The fact that Naruto was an Akatsuki target and that they had taken Gaara made it obvious what the Akatsuki's goals were. They wanted the Tailed Beasts and they clearly had the power to do it. Tsunade then snatched the paper off Kakashi and cleared her voice in order to attract attention.

"Team Kakashi, this is your new mission," she said, to the surprise of the elders and Iruka. "You are to go immediately to the Sand Village and relay information about the situation back to us. Then, you will provide any backup that the Sand Village requires and follow their orders."

"Yes ma'am" was the unanimous reply, before the team quickly left to prepare for their mission.

An hour later, Team Kakashi met at the gate and were ready to go. Tsunade and Iruka came to see them off and give words of encouragement. This mission was the first S Rank mission given to a team in over a year and probably the most important mission ever handed out. However, Team Kakashi didn't seem nervous in any way.

"Alright then, cya later guys" Naruto called out, while turning away from the Hokage.

"Do your best Naruto!" Iruka replied, acting like a father wishing his son well on his first day of school. It's the kind of emotion that Naruto still wasn't used to and he found that the sentiment, while sounding rather casual to everyone else, gave him a warm feeling in his heart. Before he could give a reply, a man jumped in front of the group flamboyantly.

"Hey Naruto" Jiraiya said, "you going on a mission?"

"Yes sir" Naruto replied, snapping off a salute as he did so.

"More importantly, Tsunade I've received some disturbing news" Jiraiya said, turning his attention to his former teammate. "The Sand's Kazekage has been-"

"I know" Tsunade said, "I'm sending Team Kakashi there right now as a matter of fact. We got a message from the Sand Village early this morning."

Surprised at this turn of events, Jiraiya walked over to Tsunade and whispered into her ear, making sure that Naruto couldn't hear him.

"You do remember that the Akatsuki are after Naruto, right?" Jiraiya asked. "Not to mention the history between Sasuke and Itachi, who he has a good chance or running in to."

"I have my reasons for sending them, Jiraiya" Tsunade replied, sounding slightly insulted by the questions being asked of her. Not satisfied, Jiraiya turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, I want to talk to you for a second" Jiraiya said, pulling his apprentice to the side. "Be careful when it comes to the Akatsuki, understood?"

"Well, they've been chasing me for the last few years, right? So, now it's my turn to go after them" Naruto said defiantly.

"Yeah, you've gotten stronger in the last few years, no doubt about that" Jiraiya began, "but you've still got a temper on you, which is often your weak spot. Make sure that you don't let your emotions get the better of you. Also, make sure you don't use _that_ jutsu."

Naruto looked at the ground at this point, unable to bear looking Jiraiya in the face.

"I know," he muttered, as a feeling of immense guilt came over him. After giving him a smile, and a playful ruffle of his hair, Jiraiya walked over to Kakashi.

"Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," he said, keeping his voice low. "That goes for Sasuke as well. The last thing we need is either one of them letting their emotions get the better of them."

"Don't worry" Kakashi replied cheerily. "I know how to handle them by now." With that, the group set off into the distance, becoming nothing but small dots on the horizon before long.

"Worried?" Tsunade asked, hoping to hear some kind of encouragement.

"Naruto isn't the kind of weak Shinobi I'd worry about" Iruka replied, "Sakura's the same."

"I noticed you missed someone there" Tsunade commented, turning to the Chunnin as she said it.

"Let's just say I think it'll be better for everyone if they don't find Itachi on this mission" Iruka said, a sentiment that was shared by all.

"You're late" Deidera moaned, as Sasori slowly made his way towards him. "How come you don't like to keep other people waiting, yet you'll happily take your time when I'm the one who's expecting you?"

"Shut up Deidera" Sasori snapped, irritated at his young partners complaining. "I was having fun, it's not often that I get to fight someone with that boy's abilities. Also, you don't need to be so irritated. After all, we've already caught your target haven't we?"

"I suppose" Deidera replied, although he still kept his disgruntled look. "So, after this we'll be going after your target right?"

"That's the plan" Sasori said, "although we don't know where he is, it would be so much easier if he just came to us."

"That's true" Deidera replied, "speaking of which, which Jinchuriki is your opponent supposed to be?"

"It doesn't really matter" Sasori growled, getting tired of the lengthy conversation. "Our quota is simply one each, right? As long as I get my hands on one Jinchuriki, there'll be no problem."

With that, Sasori shuffled across the sand and straight past his confused partner without saying another word.

_I guess that means that this conversation is over _Deidera thought, before sending his bird to fly on above them. _He has a small limit for social interaction doesn't he? Oh well, it's not that far now until we reach the hideout. _

After another few hours, the two men came to the side of a small mountain that lay behind a lake. They slowly walked over to the boulder and cast a jutsu before walking straight through it. On the other side of the barrier was a dimly lit cave, full of jagged rocks and dried dirt. As soon as they entered, a figure appeared in the middle of the room. Only the outside of the man was visible, with the rest of his body emitting a dark glow apart from his rather unique eyes. The purple eyes with the spiral pattern were a testament to his immense power and kept the organization of international criminals in check.

"You're late" he said, his continual gaze unnerving.

"The Jinchuriki was stronger than we expected" Deidera said loudly, in order to overpower Sasori's protest about the use of the word "we". Suddenly, six other figures of various shape and size appeared, all with the same glow as the first figure. They gathered in a circle, with Gaara being laid down in the middle.

"That took you long enough Deidera," the tallest of the group said in a mocking tone.

"I'd like to have seen you do better Kisame" Deidera yelled, before turning to the figure stood next to Kisame. "So, what do you think of this, Itachi?"

Itachi stared back for a moment, his Sharingan's penetrating stare keeping its gaze on the youngest member of the Akatsuki.

"You only did what was expected of you" Itachi said, his voice surprisingly soft for a man of his reputation. "If we start to congratulate other for completing the bare minimum, we'll never accomplish anything."

_Fuck you Itachi _Deidera thought, glaring at the hologram. _Continually looking down on me with those precious eyes of yours. I'll show you one day, I'll prove to you that I'm the best._

"Enough of this" the leader spoke, silencing the continuing mutterings of his subordinates. "The sealing process will take three days and we don't have time to waste with your bickering." He made several hand seals before placing his hand on the floor and the ground began to shake. The earth gave way and a giant statue emerged from the floor. At first glance, the statue could be mistaken for a skeleton given its general shape. However, it was covered with what resembled rotting skin and had several closed eyes. The two arms were held up in the air, giving ten separate platforms to stand on. The seven holograms had already taken their designated spaces when Deidera and Sasori went on to there's. Gaara remained in the middle of the group, when the leader of the group made the Ram seal and cast his jutsu. A blue aura surrounded the unconscious Kazekage and lifted him up into the air. The other Akatsuki members made the same seal and nine dragon-like streams of chakra attached themselves to Gaara and connected to the giant statue's open mouth. Gaara's face contorted into a cry of pain and a small stream of red chakra could be seen exiting his pours.

"The sealing process has begun" the leader said, as the criminal organization prepared for their three day task.

"What?" the Kunoichi cried, as she listened to the shocking news that had just been given to her.

"According to our report, it's the Akatsuki who took him" Sakura said, as she tried to keep herself composed. She didn't offer Temari her sympathy, knowing that she'd be too proud to accept it. "I think it's best if you travel with us for now."

Temari shot a look at Sasuke, who returned the sentiment. There was friction between them and they usually avoided contact with each other. Temari had never forgiven Sasuke for the way he tried to attack a fragile Gaara and for the pain he caused his teammates when he attempted to leave. However, she knew that she didn't have a choice in this situation.

"Right, let's go then" she said, and the team set off faster than ever. Naruto in particular began to pull ahead and he was visibly getting more upset with every passing second. The branches beneath him snapped due to the force he was exerting with every step.

"Naruto, just because I said to hurry it doesn't mean that you can break up the group" Kakashi called out. "Don't get so heated, didn't Master Jiraiya just tell you-"

"I can't stand it!" Naruto cried, to the shock of the group. "I'm not an idiot, even I know why they're after both me and Gaara. The rest of you don't know this, apart from you Kakashi Sensei, but I have the Nine Tailed Demon Fox sealed within me."

There was a stunned silence as the news sunk in. Suddenly, Naruto's childhood made sense. The reason that the adults always avoided him and treated him terribly became clear. However, Sasuke had a different realization upon hearing the news.

_So, that's where his power was coming from that time _he thought, remembering back to their battle at the Valley of the End. _That's an interesting development. _

"That's what I hate" Naruto continued, "they just see people like Gaara and me as monsters and nothing more. I hate when people look at me like that. We are the same, except he had to fight alone a lot longer than I ever did."

Temari knew that the last sentence wasn't aimed at her, but she felt its sting nevertheless. She was Gaara's older sister, yet she was never there for him. Even when he was just a child, she was scared of him and avoided all contact with him altogether. Once again, when he needed support the most, she wasn't there to protect her baby brother.

_Naruto Uzumaki, thank you._

After a long journey, where they battled an ever changing climate and a difficult sand storm, the team finally made it to the Sand Village. A young Kunoichi was waiting for them at the gate and spoke in hurried tones as she greeted them.

"Lady Temari is with you as well?" she asked, and then continued talking before getting an explanation. "You must hurry, things have taken a turn for the worst since we contacted you. After the Kazekage was taken, Kankuro chased the abductors but he was wounded by them."

"They got to Kankuro as well?" Temari cried, as her life began to crash around her.

"Yes" the Kunoichi said sympathetically. "He was poisoned by the enemy and we haven't been able to treat him since then. The medics think that he has about half a day left."

"We need to hurry Temari" Sakura said, suddenly rushing ahead of their guide. "Let me take a look at him."

The team reached the room that Kankuro was being treated in within minutes. Sakura and Temari entered first, followed by the three males. Sakura moved over to the ailing Kankuro's side while Temari stood off to the side of the room. However, it was the movements of the oldest woman in the room that got the most attention. A woman with grey hair down to her shoulders and wearing traditional robes launched herself towards Kakashi, who was dumbfounded about her attack. Before she could attack, Sasuke stepped in and blocked her. He then threw her across the room, although she landed on her feet.

_For an older lady, she's pretty good. I bet there's no one in the Leaf Village that would have her strength at her age. _

"Why are you going for Kakashi Sensei, you old hag?" Naruto yelled, as he prepared to fight.

"The White Fang of the Leaf" she said, as she breathed heavily. "I remember what you did, you were my sons enemy. I will avenge him today!"

As she moved to attack, an elderly male moved in front of her. He bore a resemblance to the woman and he spoke to her in a soft tone.

"Sister, take a good look" he said, as he stared at Kakashi carefully. "There's a strong similarity, but he isn't the White Fang. Remember, he would be much older than that now."

"Oh right" the lady cackled, as a smile suddenly appeared on her face. "Well, I was only joking anyway."

"More importantly" Sakura said, as she held two bubbles of water above Kankuro's chest. "Kankuro needs to be treated quickly." Sakura then pressed the bubbles in to the bedridden Shinobi's chest and then took them out again a few seconds later. Inside was a black colored fluid that had a much thicker texture than water.

"I've got it" Sakura said, as she dropped the bubbles into buckets. "There's no danger to his life at the minute, as I've removed most of the poison. However, I now have to make an antidote for what remains in his system, so everyone listen up and follow my orders."

Naruto couldn't help but be impressed as he watched Sakura confidently take charge of the situation. It looked like all that training paid off.

"You remind me off that slug woman Tsunade" the old lady, whose name was Chiyo, said. "To think that a girl like you would come out of the same village."

"Well, Lady Tsunade is my master after all" Sakura beamed, while she continued to work.

"Time really does move so fast" Lady Chiyo sighed, as she realized that the memories of her younger days were further away than ever.

"Right!" Naruto cried, taking Lady Chiyo's words as some from of inspiration. "We're going to move fast alright. Let's not waste time and go after the Akatsuki!"

A few hours passed and Naruto's words hadn't inspired the action he had hoped for. They had been sat around waiting for Sakura to make the antidote and he had been getting restless.

"Come on, let's get going" Naruto moaned, as he stretched his arms out.

"Great idea" Sasuke said, to the surprise of everyone in the room. "There's just one problem with it."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Naruto asked sarcastically.

"Where are the Akatsuki were supposed to be chasing?" he replied, looking smug as he did so.

Naruto's face dropped as he realized Sasuke was right. They had no idea where the enemy had gone, so they would have to waste even more time before they could leave.

"Speaking of which, what were the results of your pursuit?" Kakashi asked, speaking directly to Baki.

"Kankuro went alone" Baki said regretfully, "there were no others."

"I see, well could you take us to the place that you found him?" Kakashi requested, as he put away the book he'd had his nose in for the past few minutes. "Though it might not seem it, I'm an expert in pursuit. If they've even left the smallest trace of their scent behind-"

"That won't be necessary" a weak voice called out from the bed. Kankuro had regained consciousness and was just about sitting up. "There were two enemies and one abducted Gaara, so you should follow Gaara's scent. I also caught a piece of clothing from the other in case they split up."

"Snatching some success from the jaws of failure, you truly are a Sand Shinobi" Kakashi mused, while he stared at the injured Jonin.

"Kankuro" Lady Chiyo started as she rushed over to his side. "Are you sure that one of the enemies you followed was Sasori?"

Kankuro seemed surprised at seeing Lady Chiyo, but he didn't mention it.

"Yeah, it was him alright" Kankuro said, confirming the old woman's fears. "He said so himself and judging by the knowledge he had on my puppets, I'm sure that he wasn't lying. Sasori of the Red Sand is now our enemy."

The door then burst open and Sakura ran straight over to Kankuro, before pouring a small glass of medicine down his throat. He choked slightly and gasped after it was all done.

"Sakura's done, so let's get going!" Naruto declared, before running out of the room with his backpack. Shaking their heads, his teammates followed him. Of course, Kakashi held them back until the morning but he thought he'd let Naruto have his moment.

The next morning, Team Kakashi met at the main gate to the village and checked their equipment one last time before they left. Naruto was still clearly eager to leave but he kept his impatience to a minimum.

"Gai's team are on their way" Kakashi commented, as he finished packing. "I'll get Pakkun to tell them where they have to go and we'll set off now."

"If you can wait a few minutes, then I can come with you," Temari declared as she joined the group. "I just need to get permission and then-"

"There is no need for that" Chiyo called out from on top of a large building. "If a Sand Shinobi must go, I will be sufficient."

The elderly woman dropped down and landed with a thud on the ground below.

"Temari, you are best staying here to defend our countries borders" Chiyo continued, showing no signs of pain from her impressive leap. "Besides, I want to pay my dear grandson one last visit."


	6. Power of the Akatsuki

Chapter 6: Power of the Akatsuki

The sealing process only had a matter of hours left until completion, but many of the Akatsuki members were beginning to get restless. It takes a large amount of discipline to stay still for three days but such a virtue is something that some of these rogue ninja lacked. A rather bored Deidera sighed, as he continued to maintain the jutsu.

"Deidera, will you stop whining?" Sasori growled, as he stared down his partner.

"I didn't even say anything that time!" Deidera yelled, ignoring everyone else. "You know I think you need to start treating me with some more respect. You're the only one who got a close up look at my art, and you didn't even think to give me a compliment!"

"You call your acts of terrorism art?" Sasori mocked, "art is eternal, it is beauty not explosions. I could never respect such a ridiculous form of art."

"Both of you, stop it" their leader said, before Deidera could object once again. "This is difficult enough without your petty arguments. If you want to continue this debate, do it once we are finished here."

Neither one of them argued back, which didn't surprise anyone. There was an unspoken rule that the leader was not to be disobeyed in any way. They all knew that he could wipe any of them out in a heartbeat.

"An enemy from the Hidden Leaf is approaching the hideout" the man standing on the small finger of the right hand said. "A Jonin named Might Gai."

"Who is that?" the leader asked, speaking to Itachi more than anyone else.

"He specialises in taijutsu" Itachi replied. "He's very strong and should not be underestimated."

"Ah yes, so it's him" Kisame added, instinctively moving his hand up towards the side of his head. "I'll go and put a stop to him, I'll use that jutsu. I have a personal score to settle with him"

" Indeed, that jutsu is suitable for you Kisame, given your extraordinary amount of chakra" the leader said. "Alright, you can go but make sure that you leave 30% of your chakra here."

"Naruto, can I ask you something?" Sakura asked, as the group moved through the trees and towards the Akatsuki base. "How long have the Akatsuki been targeting you?"

"It's been three years since two Akatsuki members came to the village to get Naruto" Kakashi said, answering the question.

"Why did they wait three years?" Sakura asked the obvious question. Lady Chiyo and Kakashi explained the differences between the Tailed Beast and the process of sealing, which Sasuke didn't feel like listening to. However, while this was going on he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't make out exactly what it was, but he knew that he had seen it before. The sight of it out here was alarming, as the last time he had caught a glimpse of it was during his fight with Naruto.

"Sasuke, what is it?" Kakashi asked, as he noticed that his student seemed more distracted than usual.

"It's nothing" Sasuke replied, deciding that it was best not worrying everyone. "I just want to get there as fast as possible. We should pick up the pace."

Taking Sasuke's advice, the group found themselves moving at a quick rate and making excellent progress. Soon enough, they found a break in the trees and came to a field in the middle of the forest. Kakashi stepped out first and quickly held his arms up to stop everyone from moving.

"Wait" he cried, stunned at the sight in front of him. _I can't believe that we've seen him so soon. _Everything that Kakashi had feared going into this mission was being realized at that very moment.

"Itachi Uchiha" Naruto said regretfully, knowing full well what was coming next. The mission had suddenly got much more complicated.

Sasuke's knuckled turned white as he clenched his fists tightly. His Sharingan activated by itself and he could even feel the power of the curse mark begging to be unleashed. He had finally found him again and he knew that things would be different this time.

"Kakashi" Sasuke rasped as he moved forward to the front of the group. "You can leave this to me now, you go on ahead. This is my battle and always was."

Kakashi closed his eyes and sighed.

"Sasuke, I know-"

"You promised me Kakashi" Sasuke said, emphasising the word promise. "Or are all of your promises not worth anything?"

The last comment was a low blow and he knew it. However, Sasuke also knew that he had to do anything to be allowed this fight.

"You have no say in how this fight goes," Itachi said, who had remained silent up until this point. "Now then, why don't you make this easy for me and come with me now, Naruto?" Itachi raised his finger and pointed straight at Naruto, whose anger was rising by the second.

"It seems that he's caught Naruto in a genjutsu" Sasuke commented, while looking at his teammates disturbed chakra with his Sharingan. "It's weak and won't be able to fool my eyes. Take Naruto away now, while he can't argue with me and get in the way."

"Fine" Kakashi said, realising that he was defeated. "We'll go around a different way, while you handle this. Make sure you meet up with us afterwards, Sasuke."

"Will do" Sasuke replied, as he unsheathed his sword. The rest of the group turned around and headed back the way they came, with Naruto still under the effects of the genjutsu.

"Sorry to disappoint" Itachi began, revealing the kunai he was hiding up his sleeve. "But I'm not going to let you go anywhere." Itachi then charged at the group at a frightening speed, a testament to his amazing strength. However, Sasuke then made his move and darted across, colliding with Itachi in front of the entrance to the forest. Sasuke's sword was being held back by Itachi's kunai, the grinding of the metal causing small sparks.

"You think it's that easy?" Itachi asked, as a separate copy of him jumped up from behind the first and headed straight towards Naruto. Just before he reached his target, the second Itachi was knocked away by Sasuke once again.

"You think you're the only one that can use Shadow Clones?" Sasuke said, a tone of cockiness in his voice. "You may weave signs quickly, but not fast enough to deceive my eyes. Like I said, this fight will be between us."

Kakashi took the opportunity to lead his team away from the battlefield and out of harms way. Just before they disappeared, Kakashi yelled back one more time.

"Sasuke, don't use that jutsu if you can help it" he said, hoping that his words would get through to his apprentice. Sasuke didn't reply, leaving both Kakashi and Itachi in the dark about what he had chosen. However, Itachi appeared casual and unaffected by the turn of events.

"Fine then, if that's how you want it" he said, as a smile appeared on his face. "I suppose this will be a good opportunity to see how far you've come."

Gai's team moved at a furious pace towards the Akatsuki base and reached a rocky plane after coming through the trees. They were being lead by Kakashi's faithful summon Pakkun, whose sense of smell was being used extensively. After a minute or so, he picked up a scent he didn't recognise.

"Someone's following us," he said gravely, worried about who it could be. The team turned to Neji, who activated his Byakugan to scan the area. His kekkei genkai gave him almost 360 degrees of vision and it was incredibly useful in this situation.

"He's behind us!" Neji declared, which caused the entire team to quickly turn around and face their foe. A cloud of smoke appeared after the enemy kicked up dust from the ground due to the speed that he moved. Eventually, he reached the team and revealed himself. His appearance resembled a shark, with his blue skin and darker blue hair. He wore the standard Akatsuki cloak and held a giant sword in his hand, which was wrapped up in white bandage. Everyone could tell that he was a formidable opponent just by seeing him but Neji's eyes revealed more.

"He has an overwhelming amount of chakra" Neji gasped, "I haven't seen anyone with this much chakra since Naruto. The Akatsuki's power is amazing."

Kisame threw his giant sword into the air and made a hand sign. Then, he summoned a lake of water from his mouth, which covered the entire area. Gai's team jumped apart and found themselves separated in the air. By the time they had jumped, Kisame caught his sword and decided it was time to attack. His first target was Gai, but Lee knocked him away before Kisame could do any damage. A vacuum of air then hit Kisame while he was distracted, before an explosive headed towards him. Even though it made an impressive splash in the water, TenTen's final attack missed its mark.

"You're all such nuisances" Kisame sighed, as he floated in the water.

"Wait a minute?" Gai exclaimed, "the water ninjutsu and the giant sword that means that you must be-"

"I was wondering when you would remember me," Kisame said, who laughed to himself afterwards.

"Someone I've met before" Gai finished lamely.

"You know, you really have a talent for getting on my nerves" Kisame spat, as he prepared another attack. However, before he could do so Gai snatched the sword from Kisame's hands and ordered his students to attack. They did as they were told, but fell into Kisame's trap. They found themselves stuck in a water prison with Kisame's water clones standing guard over them.

"Now, we can fight with no distractions!" Kisame yelled, delighted that he had the chance to defeat his rival. Lee and TenTen watched in horror as Gai struggled to keep up with Kisame's brute strength. Gai's nunchucks couldn't do any damage when faced with Samehada and he was beat into the water. Neji, however, was preoccupied with something else.

_The weak spot should be around here somewhere _he thought, while scanning the dome of water. _I've broke out of this before and I must do it again. _

Finally, the newly minted Jonin found what he was looking for and broke his prison with his Gentle Fist. Free of his confinement, he freed his teammates and ran over to help his Sensei. Gai needed the assistance as by this stage he was trapped underwater and was being attacked by a jutsu.

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!" he cried, knocking Kisame away and ending the jutsu that was torturing Gai. Gai peered out from deep underwater and noticed that the jutsu that had ended.

_Looks like my team are back in the game _he thought, before crossing his arms in front of his face. _I'll only use the 4__th__ Gate then, that won't tire me out. _

Gai jumped out of the water, surrounded by a green aura. He then kicked Kisame in the stomach, winding him.

"Now Neji!" he declared, although Neji had already taken the required stance.

"Eight Trigrams: 64 palms!" he shouted, before closing his enemies chakra points. Kisame fell to the floor, unable to move. Lee then took his chance and finished off the Akatsuki member with one powerful kick. The lake dried up, which proved once and for all that the battle, was over.

"How did you break out of that water prison so fast?" Gai asked, remembering the problems that Kakashi had said he had with them.

"Do you not remember?" Neji said, finding himself agreeing with Kisame. "Sasuke used the same technique on me in the Chunnin exams. He learned it from Kakashi Sensei and I fell for it. However, I found the weak spot in the jutsu then and I found it today."

"Incredible!" TenTen declared, although Lee didn't seem too impressed.

"Well, we don't have time for this" Gai said, as he urged his team along. "We have to get to that base now, every second we waste here is precious." Surprisingly, everyone on the team agreed and continued on their journey.

Kakashi stared up at the sign placed upon the giant boulder in front of them and came to a conclusion. It looked like they were dealing with a Five Seal Barrier that, as the name suggested required five people to break. They were stuck waiting for Gai's team to arrive.

"Kakashi!" a familiar voice called out as Team Gai arrived on the scene. "It's a sad day indeed when I'm late and you're not. We ran into some trouble on the way here, what about you?"

"Same here" Kakashi said regretfully. "That's actually where Sasuke is, he's fighting Itachi right now."

There was an awkward pause as everyone thought about the fight that was taking place. Many other Shinobi would question Kakashi's wisdom in letting Sasuke fight Itachi alone, but not Gai. He was well aware of the difficult relationship Kakashi had with Sasuke and this situation was always bound to happen.

"Before we break the barrier" Kakashi began, looking to change the subject. "We need to make sure that the Akatsuki are definitely inside. Neji, can you take a look?"

Neji nodded and activated his Byakugan once again. He was stunned at what he saw inside but he knew that he mustn't be overwhelmed. After a few seconds he identified Gaara, wrapped in a large orb of chakra.

"This is definitely the place" Neji said, "I can see Gaara inside. He's inside a large circle of chakra; I can't really make out what they are doing to him. If I had to guess, it looks like they are extracting chakra from him."

_So, they haven't finished extracting the Shukaku yet _Kakashi thought, feeling a little relieved. _However, they've had him a while so we need to get in there. _

"Alright, this is the plan" Kakashi declared, taking charge of the mission. "Neji, there should be four other tags like the one you see in front of you scattered around the area. You need to locate them as fast as possible. Once that's done, Gai's team will travel to the tags and pull them off at the same time, while I'll take care of the tag here. Finally, Sakura will break the boulder and we'll go inside and grab Gaara. Gai's team will come and provide backup, as we'll probably need it. Any questions?"

After five minutes, everyone was in place. Kakashi gripped onto his tag and waited from the signal from Neji.

"Everyone is in position" came the voice from over the speaker.

"Alright, we pull them off on the count of three" Kakashi said, "1…2…3!"

The tags were pulled off simultaneously and Sakura destroyed the boulder. Naruto and Chiyo ran inside instantly and Kakashi and Sakura quickly followed them.

"What?" Deidera cried, as the team burst in. "How did they get in here? There were only four that beat Kisame, they couldn't have taken down the barrier!"

"That's not the team I fought" Kisame said, as he looked over at the intruders. "The one in the orange is the Nine Tails Jinchuriki, this is the team that Itachi went to stall."

"Judging by his hologram, Itachi is still fighting though" the leader said, "looks like we erred in sending him, that technique's chakra limitations would hurt Itachi more than most of us."

_Chakra limitations? What is he talking about? _Kakashi thought, as he listened in to the conversation.

"At any rate" the leader continued, "we'll have to delay the rest of the sealing for now. Deidera, Sasori; you two take care of things here and we'll finish this off later."

"Understood" was the reply from both of them as they jumped off the statue to join their opponents on the floor. The rest of the holograms disappeared and Gaara fell to the floor. Before he could land, Naruto jumped across and caught his friend without noticing the giant steel tail that was heading towards him. However, Kakashi did and he moved to block the attack with his sword. This gave Naruto the opportunity to retrieve Gaara and bring him over to Sakura.

"I think he's still breathing" Naruto said, without sounding very confident. "Sakura can you-"

"Of course" Sakura replied at once, before laying the unconscious Kazekage on the ground. The action didn't go unnoticed by Deidera who prepared a small explosive in the shape of an owl.

"Sorry, but we can't have you doing that" he said, as he threw the bomb at Sakura. Once again, Kakashi reacted first and threw a Shiruken infused with lightning at the bird, which was then stuck in the wall of the cave.

"Impressive" Deidera remarked, "but not impressive enough. Looks like you don't see everything when you've got one eye covered up."

That was when Kakashi noticed the clay spiders scurrying towards the group. He didn't have time to move and realised that he had only one option. He quickly pulled up his headband and revealed his Sharingan, preparing to use his new technique to save his comrades. However, it wasn't necessary as Kakashi felt two wooden arms push him out of the way at impressive speed. The explosion created a bigger opening at the front of the cave but didn't do any damage to Kakashi's team. Interestingly, the explosive on the wall didn't detonate and Kakashi took note.

"Those puppets" Sasori snarled, "you brought those with you?"

"That's right" Chiyo replied, as she pulled the human like puppets in front of her. "The first two puppets you ever created, with some upgrades of course."

"How disgusting" Deidera said, "I can't believe you call things like that art. I'll tell you what Sasori; my aim's going to be to destroy those two for you. That'll be the ultimate way to prove that my art is superior."

"Whatever you say Deidera" Sasori replied, as he curled up his tail to attack. "You never know, maybe one of these could do me a favour and finish you off!"


	7. Fight for Survival

Chapter 7: Fight for Survival

"Gai, we could really use your help here," Kakashi whispered over the radio he was still wearing.

"Sorry Kakashi" was the hurried response "We've got some problems of our own here. I can't explain, but we'll be delayed a while. Over and out."

"Well that's a shame" Deidera teased, having heard the whole conversation. "I was hoping to have more of you to play with. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to be content with you."

_This is a bigger problem than I expected _Kakashi thought; _I never imagined that we'd have to fight two of them with only three people who can fight. All right, there's only one thing we can do._

"Here's the plan" Kakashi began, while he drew his sword from the sheath on his back. "Naruto, you will assist Lady Chiyo is her battle against the puppet master Sasori. I'll take on the other one alone."

"Hey!" Deidera yelled, "Why am I the one that you think only needs one person? I'm the one that captured him you know!"

"I've heard that the Copy Ninja is quite intelligent" Sasori said, "and it looks like he lives up to it. He's figured out who's the most powerful almost immediately."

Deidera gave Sasori a cold look, before turning back to Kakashi.

"Looks like everyone with a Sharingan underestimates me" he said, while he forced his hands into his pouches of clay. "Then again, I guess it'll be nice to be the one who exterminates that kekkei genkai and I'll start with you!"

Deidera threw more explosives at Kakashi, who jumped backwards to avoid them. Eventually, he was forced outside of the cave and onto the lake.

"Just like I wanted" Deidera whispered, before summoning another gigantic bird. He flew out of the large gap that he had created earlier. Naruto started after him, before being stopped by Lady Chiyo.

"Remember what Kakashi told you Naruto" she said, "he's handling that fight alone while you are to assist me here. Don't worry about him, he should be fine you need to keep your concentration here."

"Right, sorry" Naruto said, before turning his attention to the matter at hand. "So, what's the deal with this guy?"

"The most important thing is that isn't Sasori's real body," Chiyo said, as she repositioned her puppets. "That's just a puppet he calls Hiruko and a powerful puppet it is."

"Well, I figured that it's a puppet" Naruto replied, as he quickly dodged the deadly iron tail that had come his way. "Where's his real body then?"

"It's inside the puppet" Chiyo responded, to Naruto's surprise. "You don't want to know how he creates his puppets, so I'll just say this. We have to destroy that puppet if we are to get to Sasori."

"Is that all?" Naruto asked, smiling as he did so. "That's no problem at all, I'll destroy that wooden shell myself." Naruto made the clone seal and prepared to unleash his signature jutsu.

_Shadow Clones? They won't do much good against someone like me _Sasori thought; _it's almost an embarrassment to face such a mediocre jutsu. Maybe everything Itachi told me about this boy was a lie. _

Just as he finished his last thought, the cave suddenly became filled with Naruto's clones. Sasori had never seen anything like it before and it was very concerning.

_The chakra required to maintain a jutsu of that scale must be enormous. This might be more difficult than I thought. _

The clones attacked en masse and Sasori's tail had to move around faster than the eye could see in order to repel them. Eventually, the pressure took its toll and the puppet masters defence was breached. Naruto's Rasengan smashed into the side of the wooden creation. A shadowy figure scurried out of the remains of the puppet and off to the side.

"I'll end this now!" Naruto declared, as he prepared another powerful attack.

"No Naruto!" Chiyo cried, "We need to re – group. Sasori is far more powerful outside of Hiruko then he was before. Even I don't know what puppets he'll have collected by now."

"Indeed, you are wise to be wary of me" Sasori taunted, revealing a much softer voice than before. "However, I won't underestimate you either. You should be proud, not many get to see this puppet."

Sasori dramatically revealed a scroll that was hidden in his black cloak. Outside, the sound of explosions could be heard as that battle heated up. Naruto wouldn't let himself be distracted by his Sensei's troubles and concentrated on the scroll. He knew that, whatever it contained, it was going to be trouble. However, before unveiling his weapon, Sasori decided to reveal another surprise he had in store. He let down his hood to show his true face.

"I don't believe it" Chiyo gasped, "You haven't aged at all!"

"Yes" Sasori replied, "and that isn't my only surprise. Let's see if you recognise this puppet."

Sasori summoned another of his wooden constructions from his scroll. The puppet was dark in appearance, with black hair and yellow eyes. Sasori's confidence skyrocketed as he played with the deadly weapon as if it were a toy.

"So it was you," Chiyo murmured, "You were the one that killed the Third Kazekage. Now you've turned him into your puppet."

"He was very difficult to capture" Sasori replied, "and that's why he's my favourite. Now, enough of your stalling. Let us begin!"

The puppet flew towards Naruto at breakneck speed under Sasori's command. The Jinchuriki couldn't react and all he could do was stand there and await the impact. However, Lady Chiyo's puppets came to the rescue once again, as she moved them to block the onslaught. The two puppet masters then engaged in an intense duel and neither were willing to give up. Every move that one of them made was countered by the other. Naruto tried to find an opening where he could get involved, but no such moment ever came. Sasori soon became frustrated as he realised the restrictions that were placed on him.

_I can't use the poison on the old hag because she's too far away _he thought _and I can't kill the Jinchuriki so my cloud isn't going to be much help. I've got only one option then._

"You've surprised me" Sasori admitted, "but you can't win. It's not time for me to show you why the Third Kazekage is the strongest of them all."

The puppet's mouth creaked open to reveal a black substance inside. This substance then began to pour from the mouth and ominously surround the puppet.

"The Iron Sand" Chiyo said gravely, "this is very bad."

Deidera cackled wildly from atop his clay bird as he sent his explosives raining down towards his opponent. Kakashi, to his credit, was able to dodge all of the attacks that came his way.

"This must be strange for you" Deidera mocked, "to be in a fight where you can't just copy every jutsu in sight. I'm the Sharingan's perfect counter and you're going to die here."

At that moment, Kakashi was almost blindsided by a group of clay explosives but he was able to deflect them with more Shiruken.

"You know, they say that the one's who talk the most and mess around are the weakest links," Kakashi countered, echoing a speech he once gave Naruto. "Id say that you talk an awful lot, don't you?"

"Shut up!" Deidera responded, as he jumped off of his winged creature. The bird then flew down towards Kakashi, who knew he was in trouble.

_There's no way that I can get out of the range of that explosive in time _he thought, as he withdrew his sword. _I hope this works. _

Deidera landed on his new owl just before the bird reached its target. He savoured the moment before commanding his creation to annihilate his opponent. However, Deidera's moment of art never came and his bird was rendered lifeless.

"You've figured it out, haven't you?" Deidera asked through gritted teeth. He knew the risks of facing someone with lightning based techniques but he figured that no one would see through his jutsu so easily.

"What, that you're techniques are all earth based and thus vulnerable to lightning?" Kakashi said in a matter- of -fact way. "Yeah, you should probably avoid making hand seals in front of my eye. I can read you like a book."

Deidera shook with anger and he could even hear the sound of his teeth grinding together.

_This is a bad situation. Sure, he can't hurt me up here but I can't hurt him either, now he's figured me out. Worse, he's got back up on the way so I can't hang around. I'll have to grab the two Jinchuriki and get out of here. _

"That was just a fluke!" Deidera cried, as he created yet another bird. "Let's see you do it again!"

The events repeated themselves and Kakashi immobilised Deidera's attack again. Although, Kakashi didn't take his opponents mental breakdown at face value and had an attack prepared in case Deidera had laid any traps.

_Come on _he thought, _where's the follow up explosive to take me by surprise? The one you hid in the shadow of this much larger creature? You must have sent another one, no one is that stupid._

Sure enough, a smaller explosive soon appeared from behind the first. Kakashi appeared to disintegrate it with his Lightning Blade but was stunned when the clay moved right past him and headed towards the cave. Kakashi watched in horror as it flew straight at Naruto who was oblivious to the danger.

"Naruto!" Kakashi shouted, "Look out!"

Naruto turned his head slightly just in time to see the explosive reach him.

"Too late!" Deidera yelled, before causing an explosion. Kakashi's heart sank as he saw the cave crumble and eventually fall apart. The sight of falling rocks and screams of terror brought back painful memories, which was made worse by the fact that he was once again left watching from the outside.

"Maybe I overdid it?" Deidera said, showing false concern. "Then again, as long as the Jinchuriki isn't dead everything is ok. If the rest of them have died, then that'll be a bonus."

"What about your partner?" Kakashi rasped, as he tried to contain the pure fury inside of him.

"Sasori would be, what's the phrase?" Deidera began, "Oh yeah, collateral damage. It can't be helped; he knew what he was getting in to. Besides, it's what he gets for mocking my art."

"I can't believe that you'd treat your comrades like that" Kakashi spat, as he clenched his fists tightly.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Deidera asked.

"I don't need to do anything" Kakashi replied, which confused Deidera. A second later, a hand covered in black lightning shot through the Akatsuki members' chest. Standing behind him was Sasuke in his Cursed Seal Second State.

"See you in hell" Sasuke snarled, while drawing his katana to finish the job.

Naruto sat up and surveyed the damage all around him. Giant boulders lay smashed on the ground and piled on top of each other. He couldn't remember what had happened after seeing a small, white bird flying towards him but his first thought was to check to see if anyone else had survived.

"Sakura" he called out, instincts taking over.

"I'm here Naruto," she replied from just behind him. "Lady Chiyo is over there in the middle, where there aren't any rocks. I think that Sasori is there as well."

"What happened?" Naruto asked, still confused over the sequence of events.

"There was an explosion" Sakura responded, "I was able to get you out of the way, although it wasn't easy.

Naruto could feel a gritty material beneath him and soon realised that it was sand. He deduced that the explosion must have torn up the ground and exposed the sand underneath.

"Wait a minute!" Naruto yelled, the sand reminding him of something. "Where's Gaara?"

"Right here Naruto" Sakura said, pointing to the unconscious boy next to her. "You didn't think I'd leave him did you? Anyway there's not much more I can do for him now."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, suddenly panicked.

"He's still ok" Sakura reassured him, while getting up. "His condition has stabilised but I can't treat him any further. You stay with him."

"No, Sakura" Naruto objected. "I'll-"

"You're too tired" Sakura insisted, "I'll go help Lady Chiyo and you can watch Gaara."

Sakura ran over to the two puppet masters and stood by Lady Chiyo's side. Sasori was stood in the middle of the cave, staring at the broken puppet on the ground that surrounded him.

"Damn you Deidera" Sasori said under his breath. "So reckless, you could have crushed me in here. I can't believe that he destroyed my favourite puppet. I'll get you for this. However, I'll have to deal with this mess first."

He looked up at his grandmother and smiled when he saw her puppets crushed on the ground.

"We could play around some more" Sasori began, while taking off his Akatsuki cloak. "But we both know how this will end so why don't we just skip the rest of it? No more holding back grandmother, you'll have to use your most powerful technique."

Sakura stared at Chiyo for a second, who reached into her backpack. She unveiled two more scrolls and through them summoned ten puppets. Sakura had never seen so many puppets being controlled at once and was impressed to say the least.

"They say that a puppet master is only as good as the amount of puppets they can control" Sasori continued, "and you are the only one to be able to manage this amount. However, I can do much better than that."

Sasori took his cloak off completely and revealed the wooden body beneath. Sakura was horrified by it but Lady Chiyo just sighed.

"So you did make yourself a puppet," she said, "Sakura be careful, I have a very bad feeling about this."

Sasori threw a very thick scroll into the air and a panel opened on his chest. A massive amount of puppets filled the sky and all were connected to their master through the chakra threads coming from his chest.

"You may have took down a castle with your jutsu" Sasori screamed, "but I took down an entire country with mine!"

Before either of the Kunoichi could react, Sasori's army of puppets attacked. Lady Chiyo's puppets clashed with the others and Sakura did likewise. She had become an expert in evasion thanks to her training and her insane strength was capable of destroying a puppet with one blow. However, the sheer number of puppets soon took its toll and Sakura began to pick up injuries. She could almost feel the poison begin to spread through her and she sank to her knees. Then, she grabbed the antidote she kept in her bag and injected herself, granting her three minutes of relief. Lady Chiyo moved her puppets to protect the young ninja but even she realised the hopelessness of the situation.

"We have to get to Sasori" Chiyo said, while she concentrated on the battle.

"How do we do that?" Sakura asked desperately.

However, she need not have asked as the battle was then taken out of there hands. The black sand, that had lay innocently at Sasori's feat for the entire battle, suddenly rose up and covered the puppet master.

"What?" he asked, looking to see what could have done this. He then noticed something at the back of the cave and instantly realised what had happened. "This is all your fault Deidera."

Sakura turned around and noticed Gaara, who was conscious, being held up by Naruto. Gaara's arm was extended and the open palm was pointed towards Sasori.

"You mixed the sand from the ground, didn't you?" Sasori asked, not sounding at all afraid about the possibility of death.

"I am Gaara of the desert" Gaara replied "and all sand does my bidding. You have shamed our village with your immoral actions and as Kazekage I will end your terror here."

Gaara made a fist and Sasori's body was crushed under the intense pressure of the sand. A small pile of wood was all that was left of the infamous puppeteer and his army of puppets fell to the ground lifeless and non-threatening. The silence that followed this victory was soon broken by a scream from outside the destroyed cave.

"That sounds like Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed, as the whole team ran outside to join the remaining battle.

Sasuke tried to pull his arm out of the clay but couldn't. Deidera had just turned to clay in front of his eyes and he found that he was stuck in there. Deidera then appeared from within the bird and stood laughing at Sasuke.

"I guess your Sharingan doesn't notice everything" Deidera joked. "I'll take note, it'll help when I kill your brother."

Sasuke didn't have enough time to process this information before Deidera jumped from the bird and made a hand sign with his one remaining arm. On the ground, Kakashi was observing the entire scene and decided to take action.

_No choice, I don't even have time to take the whole body. It'll just have to be his hand before he can complete this jutsu._

The space around Deidera's arm began to spin like a vortex. The force coming was overwhelming and Deidera found that he couldn't pull his arm away.

_Where's this coming from? The Copy Ninja? How could he possibly use a jutsu like this?_

Deidera's arm then broke at the elbow and was sucked into the space. With no way of manipulating his clay, the Akatsuki member fell into the forest behind him.

"I was wondering when you were going to use that," Sasuke said, teasing his teacher. He was then able to pull himself free and join Kakashi on the ground, just as the rest of the group joined them. Team Gai also arrived, looking battle worn and exhausted.

"He can't possibly take on all of us," Sasuke declared confidently.

"Really? We'll see about that," Deidera countered, as he stumbled out of the forest. He then walked over to the clay bird that had fallen to the ground and broke a piece off with his mouth. Within seconds, he expanded rapidly like a balloon. Kakashi then figured out what was about to happen and was quick to warn everyone else.

"He's going to explode!" he cried, as he pushed everyone back. However, it was obvious that the group wouldn't be able to outrun such an explosion. Kakashi had only one choice and warped away the explosion before it could do any damage. Although, using the technique for a second time in a matter of minutes took its toll and Kakashi fell to the ground.

"Kakashi Sensei!" Sakura cried, before Sasuke bent down to pick him up.

"He'll be fine" Sasuke said bluntly. "He's just overused his technique, the Mangekyo Sharingan's no joke you know."

A million questions ran through Naruto's head at that moment, but he decided not to ask them. It was obvious that both Kakashi and Gaara needed to be taken for treatment and that had to be the priority.

"Let's get back to the Sand Village then" Naruto said to the rest, as they set off to return to the Sand Village.

As the group disappeared into the distance, Deidera reappeared from the forest. He scowled in the direction of Kakashi, before another figure caught his eye.

"I thought you were dead," he said to the hooded figure. "You may as well be, being beaten by your grandmother must be embarrassing."

"Shut up Deidera," an annoyed Sasori responded. "There was far more to it than that. I was forced to hide among my puppets, as the power of two Jinchuriki, my grandmother and that medical Kunoichi were too much. Also, you got beat by only two Shinobi, which is far worse. I suppose you just used your clay clone again, didn't you?"

"Why change what works?" Deidera replied. "So, do we chase them down?"

"Given that you can't use your jutsu and the majority of my puppets were destroyed, following them now would be stupid," Sasori answered, looking to mock Deidera as much as possible. "Don't worry, we will get our chance to kill them all one day."


	8. Target: Sasuke Uchiha

**A/N: Slightly shorter chapter this time, but I've got a lot on at the minute so I'm sorry about that. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it!**

Chapter 7: Target: Sasuke Uchiha

The team from the Leaf Village walked across the desert, headed for home after a job well done. Unsurprisingly, Team Gai lead the way with Gai and Lee racing each other to get back. Neji and TenTen trailed not far behind, both looking extremely embarrassed. A little further back, Sakura walked just ahead of the three other members of her team. Sasuke and Naruto were practically carrying Kakashi, who was completely exhausted of chakra after using his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Naruto was walking with a huge smile on his face and not even the ridiculously high temperature could wear him down. The sight of Gaara being welcomed back to his village, the sound of the villagers weeping in joy as their Kazekage returned to them gave Naruto hope. However, it was his final conversation with his fellow Jinchuriki that really lifted his mood. Naruto felt that he'd finally figured out the awkward sand user and that he now had another friend for life. These thoughts took up most of Naruto's attention, meaning that he wasn't keeping up with Sasuke.

"Hey, Naruto do you think you can move a bit quicker?" the Uchiha snapped, sounding very irritated.

"Calm down Sasuke" Naruto replied, "Enjoy the walk. It's not often we can take it easy right after an S Class mission."

Sasuke sighed dramatically and shook his head. Despite the success of the mission, Sasuke seemed even more tense than usual. This didn't go unnoticed by either Sakura or Kakashi.

"Sasuke" Kakashi began, his voice reflecting the weakness he felt. "What happened in your fight with Itachi? You clearly didn't kill him, or you'd be far happier than this."

Sasuke knew that the question was coming and he didn't hesitate to answer.

"What happened was…"

_Sasuke and Itachi continued to clash, Sasuke using his katana and Itachi using a kunai. Sasuke knew that he was gaining the upper hand, but couldn't understand why. He knew that Itachi was far stronger than what he was showing, and he was starting to get annoyed. _

_Then, Sasuke jumped back and made hand seals. Itachi realised what he was doing, and made the same seals. _

"_Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"_

_The balls of fire clashed in the air, creating a huge dome of heat. Sasuke's fireball began to push back his brothers, before eventually overpowering it. That told Sasuke all he needed to know and it only added to his fury. _

"_How dare you" Sasuke growled, as she shook with anger. "How dare you play with me like this, after everything you've done."_

_Sasuke fired a beam of lightning at Itachi, who just about dodged. However, the beam did tear his cloak at the top of his arm. Sasuke purposely held back in that attack, just to be sure. Itachi remained expressionless, just as he always had been._

"_Why won't you take me seriously?" Sasuke screamed, as he transformed into his Cursed Seal Second State without even trying. He then flew towards Itachi, abandoning all restraint. He let loose with a barrage of devastating kenjutsu attacks and overwhelmed Itachi. Finally, Sasuke broke through the defences and pierced Itachi's stomach with his sword. He then channelled his Chidori throughout Itachi's body, leaving him paralysed. _

"_Now, I watch you die like you did our parents" Sasuke rasped, as the gaze of the two Sharingan's met. _

"_Not this time, Sasuke" Itachi replied, as he slipped from the sword and onto the floor. Sasuke then watched as his brother transformed into a completely different person, a stranger. Sasuke then understood why it seemed like Itachi was holding back before._

"_Why do you continue to do this to me?" Sasuke asked, before flying off to find his comrades._

"I see" Kakashi said, after listening to Sasuke's story. "That's what he meant by that jutsu. It must have been a jutsu that allows you to take over another's body, while only being able to use a part of your chakra. Don't worry Sasuke, your time will come again."

Kakashi gave Sakura and Naruto, who looked ready to ask a million questions each, a look that told them to leave the subject there. As for Sasuke, he was left thinking about the one piece of information he left out of the story, the one thing Itachi said as he was lying on the ground before leaving.

_Meet me at the Uchiha hideout one month from today. We'll settle this there._

Deep underground, in a hideout hidden away from the world, a loud coughing noise could be heard. The very sound it made let anyone unfortunate enough to hear it know that, whoever was responsible for it was very sick indeed. In this case, the young man who heard it just happened to be a medic. He ran quickly through the dimly lit halls of the compound, carrying a small tray filled with medicine. His glasses were constantly slipping from his face and his shoulder length grey hair swung around his head. Finally, he reached the source of the noise and slowly opened the door.

"Kabuto?" a croaky voice called out in the darkness. "Is that you? You sure took your time on your scouting mission, although you got back a good time."

"Lord Orochimaru" Kabuto gasped, as he ran inside the room. Sat up in the bed was a white skinned man with long black hair. Those features weren't alarming, but the man's general demeanour caused concern. The Great Snake Master, one of the Legendary Sannin and the man who brought about the death of the God of Shinobi was reduced to a sick old man who relied upon Kabuto's medicine to survive. It was a sad sight and one Kabuto found distressing.

"The deterioration of this body is happening faster than I expected" Orochimaru grumbled, as he finished the last of the medicine. "I'm going to have to take a new body soon. I can't believe that I've reached this stage of the cycle without having got my hands on Sasuke and the Sharingan."

"Actually, I've got some good news on that front" Kabuto said, looking for approval. "I've heard from my source that Sasuke is going to be getting a solo mission where he has to leave the confines of the village. He'll be alone without any backup."

"Interesting" Orochimaru mused, which wasn't the response that Kabuto was hoping for. "Why are they letting him out on his own now? For the last three years, he's always been surrounded by elite Jonin and ANBU, making it too difficult to get close to him."

"Well" Kabuto began, feeling awkward about what he was about to say. "It seems that news has reached the village about your condition, so they know that you personally won't be coming after him."

"Jiraiya" Orochimaru hissed, the very name of his fellow Sannin causing untold anger. "In any case, they've given us an opportunity to take him and it cannot be wasted. Obviously, I cannot go so you will have to do it."

Kabuto had been expecting this and he accepted the job gratefully. He knew that he needed to keep proving his worth to his master because good medics can be easily replaced.

"Take every available Sound Shinobi with you" Orochimaru ordered. "Sasuke is probably stronger than you now, which is why they can trust him to go on his own. Oh, and you'll need to take those two for support."

Kabuto was surprised at his master's last order. However, he knew better than question it and he confirmed his approval of the order. Before leaving, Orochimaru had one last thing to say.

"Kabuto, this is our last chance to get Sasuke" he hissed, "So, you need to know that, if you fail to retrieve him-"

"I know" Kabuto replied, not wanting to hear the horrible punishment that would await should he not deliver Orochimaru's prize.

After what felt like a lifetime, Naruto and Sasuke finally carried a now unconscious Kakashi over the threshold and back to the village. Quickly, the two guards who were stood at the gate ran over to the stricken Jonin and took over from his teammates.

"What's wrong with him?" one of the Chunnin asked nervously, worried about how the great Kakashi could have ended up in that state.

"He's fine" Sasuke replied lazily, "He's just overused a new jutsu of his that takes a lot of chakra. Just take him to the hospital and let him rest for a week, he should be fine."

The Chunnin nodded and carried him off right away. Naruto found that he felt slightly jealous of Sasuke at that moment, who had obviously earned the respect of the lower ranked Chunnin. However, that jealously soon evaporated when Sasuke was told that he had to report to the Hokage.

"Already?" Sasuke moaned, before he reluctantly trudged off towards Tsunade's office. Naruto laughed cockily before walking over to talk to Gai's team, who had got impatient and left them behind.

"What was the big idea?" Naruto yelled, in his usual tactless way.

"Sorry Naruto" TenTen replied regrettably.

"Believe me, I'd have rather been moving at your pace" Neji added, while glaring at Gai and Lee, who were engrossed in a conversation that mostly involved the word "youth."

"I wonder where Sasuke went?" Sakura asked, much to Naruto's annoyance.

_It's been three years but its still all about Sasuke! _Naruto thought, although he didn't dare say any of this.

"Hey, Neji!" a soft voice called out, as a purple haired girl ran over to the group. "I heard you just got back from another mission, so I thought that I'd-"

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Naruto among the group. Her eyes grew wide and her face became flushed.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked, suddenly worried about the girl's safety. "Hey, aren't you glad to see me?"

Hinata stammered while she tried to think of something to say. She then mumbled something about having to see Kurenai before leaving.

"Something's will never change" Neji said, to the agreement of everyone except Naruto, who had no idea what was going on.

"A solo mission?" Sasuke asked, trying to make sure that he heard it right. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"Well" Tsunade began, "I was originally going to give it to Kakashi but he's currently incapacitated, so I decided that you should do it instead. It's not too difficult, you just have to collect one of our villagers from another village and bring him back here. It's just standard protection, he just requested a Jonin because he's paranoid."

"That's not what I meant" Sasuke replied, not caring for Tsunade's position.

"Orochimaru is on his death bed" Tsunade said, much to Sasuke's surprise. "He won't be able to come after you himself. In any case, Kakashi's name is still under this mission so he won't know you'll be alone. In any case, even if he does send anyone after you, we expect you could handle it."

This show of confidence caused Sasuke to reveal a small grin, before turning around to leave. However, as he reached the door Tsunade called out to him again.

"Oh, and I expect you to wear your flack jacket and headband on this mission" she said, which caused Sasuke more annoyance than he let on. Tsunade watched him leave, before she put her hands to her head in stress.

_I hope I don't regret letting him go. _

The next morning, Sasuke left the village through the main gate and headed towards his destination in the Land of Waves. He had quite a nostalgic feeling as he set off for that destination. As he walked the familiar route, he could almost see the fake puddle on the ground from years gone by. He could hear the sound of Zabuza's enormous sword flying through the air as he surprised Team 7. He remembered how impressive Kakashi looked back then and sheer ferocity with which the two Jonin fought. Three years later and Sasuke was the Jonin making this journey. He even wore the same outfit as Kakashi, albeit with a small Uchiha crest sewn into the collar. After allowing himself to wallow in nostalgia a while longer, he decided to pick up the pace and took a shorter route through the trees.

_Quicker I get there, the quicker I can get this out of the way and get home _he thought, as he effortlessly jumped between the branches. After a while, he noticed something that put him on his guard.

_So, someone is following me? Is it one of Orochimaru's henchmen, or someone else entirely? _

Sasuke decided to let whoever was following him continue for the time being. He was unable to pinpoint his pursuers location, so he decided to wait until he found a location that was more advantageous. After a short amount of time, the trees came to an end and opened up to a small lake. Sasuke decided to walk over to the lake and pretend to draw water. As he did so, he waited for the inevitable attack to come. It didn't take long until Shiruken flew out from the trees. Sasuke blocked easy and dodged the masked Shinobi that followed. When he landed from his jump, around 100 Shinobi wearing a Sound Village headband surrounded Sasuke.

"Is this all you sent for me, Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked out loud, before moving to take down every single one of them. His speed was incredible and the other Shinobi could do nothing about it. After five minutes, the other Shinobi lay wounded on the floor and Sasuke put his sword back in its sheath.

"How disappointing" Sasuke remarked, before another figure emerged from the trees, clapping in a sarcastic manner.

"Well done Sasuke" Kabuto mocked, "you really have met my expectations. Maybe this won't be such a boring fight."

"I remember you" Sasuke said, "You took the Chunnin exams that time. It's Kabuto, right?"

"That's right" Kabuto replied. "Although, you look different than what I expected. I can't believe that you were fooled by the Leaf and you're back to playing ninja again."

"I remember being told that you were as strong as Kakashi was back then," Sasuke continued, ignoring Kabuto's attempt at an insult. "Which is a shame for you."

Sasuke withdrew his sword, before running over to his target at full pace.

"As I'm far stronger than Kakashi was then!" he cried, before bringing his sword down on Orochimaru's spy. Kabuto was able to avoid the lethal blow and he activated his Chakra Scalpel. A taijutsu exchanged resulted but it was obvious who was on top right from the start. Kabuto couldn't get near Sasuke, whose superior speed and Sharingan precognition kept him away from Kabuto's chakra draining hand. Sasuke deliberately avoided using Chidori, a trait that Kakashi often derided him for. Sasuke liked to play with his opponents at times, which was the case here. Finally, he kicked straight through Kabuto's guard and forced him on the lake's edge.

"It's been fun" Sasuke lied, "but now I need to finish this. I have a mission to get to."

Sasuke jumped into the air and prepared to slash Kabuto with his katana. However, before he could get there the water rose up and charged at him.

_What, a water jutsu? When did he do this? I didn't even see him weave any hand signs. _

However, upon closer inspection Sasuke saw a face in the water. He could make out purple eyes and a devilish grin as the mass of liquid charged towards him.

_What is this jutsu? _Sasuke wondered desperately. _I don't have enough time to get into Second State. This is bad, what can I do?_

Sasuke didn't do anything as he was suddenly whisked away to safety. He realised that he was flying on a bird that looked to be made of some kind of black substance. The bird set him down on the ground, where a pale looking boy in ANBU uniform joined him.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, as he realised just who it was that was following him before.

"That's not important" the boy replied in soft tones. "All that's important is that we defeat the enemy."


	9. New Goals

Chapter 9: New Goals

Sasuke eyed the other boy suspiciously, a whirl of possibilities going through his mind. Who was he and why was he here? Did the Hokage really not trust him enough to send a member of the ANBU to watch over him? Was this mission just to test his loyalty?

"For the purposes of this mission" the boy began, "You can call me Sai."

"Well, isn't this unexpected?" Kabuto said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I never would have imagined that you would have had a guard from the ANBU waiting in the wings. Were you not confident enough that you could take care of yourself?"

Sasuke ignored the taunts as best he could but the tightness with which he gripped his katana betrayed his true feelings. However, before he could attack again he noticed the water that had just attacked him recede back to the lake.

"_How is he doing this?" _Sasuke wondered, "_I haven't seen him cast any jutsu. Is this the kind of power I could have learned from Orochimaru?_ "

As the water reached the lake is rose up again, but this time it began to take a different shape. Rather than attack, it formed the shape of a person although the physique was rather different to Kabuto's.

"It's not a water clone then" Sasuke said aloud, more to himself than anyone.

"Indeed" Sai agreed, "It's a jutsu I'm not familiar with. It will be interesting to see what it does."

Finally, the features of the boy were complete and a completely different person stood before them. He had gleaming white hair and purple eyes that matched his sleeveless shirt. He had a skinny frame, which wasn't very intimidating and had a sword similar to Sasuke's strapped to his back. It was clear to Sasuke that this wasn't Kabuto's jutsu at all.

"I see" Sai mumbled, "He must be a member of the Hozuki clan. We were told that they died out but apparently not. They use a special water style jutsu, which makes them invulnerable to physical attacks, and they tend to be master swordsmen. You must be Suigetsu, correct?"

"That's impressive" Suigetsu replied, sounding genuine. "I never knew that either me or my clan was that famous in other villages. I guess that quality shines through in the end."

"A water user" Sasuke said, smirking as he did. "That's unfortunate for you, because I'm your perfect counter."

Before anyone could react, Sasuke sent a spear of Chidori screaming towards Suigetsu, who was just about able to dodge. A look of panic appeared on Suigetsu's face, and he then turned to Kabuto.

"You never said that he used lightning techniques," he yelled, not caring that Kabuto was technically his superior.

"I didn't know that he could change his chakra form like that, so I thought he'd have to get in close range where you would have the advantage with your kenjutsu" Kabuto replied, "He's advanced further than we expected. It seems that he uses a sword as well, so that advantage has also been lost and we have to fight a member of the ANBU on top of that"

"For someone who's supposed to be a spy, your information is crap" Suigetsu yelled, frustrated at the situation. "How are we supposed to do this then?"

"Don't worry" Kabuto said, "We still have our trump card, don't we?"

"_Trump card?" _Sasuke thought, feeling slightly excited if anything. "_I wonder what it could be."_

"Hey, Jugo!" Suigetsu shouted, while looking towards the tress behind them. "Why don't you come out and play?"

"Jugo?" Sai said, while taking out his scroll. "Sasuke we have to be careful of him, he's listed in my bingo book as a very dangerous criminal."

Sasuke anticipated the arrival of a powerful Shinobi but was disappointed when he saw a shy looking boy come out from the shadows. He clearly had physical strength but his general demeanour wasn't impressive in the slightest.

"Some trump card" Sasuke said sarcastically, "Why would you even bother putting him in your bingo book?"

"I don't want to be here," Jugo said meekly, looking at the ground. "I don't want to kill again."

"This is pathetic and we've been standing still long enough" Sasuke said to Sai, while withdrawing his sword.

"Sasuke, be smart" Sai advised, "We don't want to go rushing into anything."

"Sasuke?" Jugo asked, "You're Sasuke?"

"Of course" Sasuke replied.

"You betrayed Kimmimaro" Jugo growled, his voice far harsher than before. "You were supposed to be his re-incarnation and you just abandoned everything he believed in. I have nothing left of him now."

"_What's he talking about?" _Sasuke wondered, while noting the slightly nervous looks on Suigetsu and Kabuto's faces.

"I'll kill you Sasuke Uchiha" Jugo growled, as his appearance began to alter drastically. "I'll kill you!"

Jugo dove at Sasuke and was now fully transformed into his Cursed Seal Second State. Sasuke jumped back and took off his flack jacket. Wasting no time, he activated his own Cursed Seal and the battle of the two demons took place. The ferocity with which they moved was intense and small shockwaves could be felt in the air as they clashed. Sasuke was stunned by Jugo's raw strength and he found that he was struggling in the battle.

"Of all the copies of myself" Jugo growled, "You're probably the strongest one I've thought."

"_All of the copies? Is there more than just the five that came to get me?" _Sasuke wondered and each passing second made his old desire to go to Orochimaru seem more ridiculous. However, while pondering this, Sasuke was caught off guard and received a sucker punch to the stomach. Sasuke returned in kind, with a punch to Jugo's face.

Meanwhile, Sai took on a weakened Kabuto and Suigetsu and was struggling to contain them. His ink beasts surrounded the area, ducking and diving around the two Sound Shinobi. Suigetsu then jumped back onto the water and made hand seals.

"Sorry, but you're just getting in our way" Suigetsu spat, as he completed his jutsu. From the water, a dragon rose into the air and dove towards Sai. However, the ANBU member wouldn't be defeated that easily, as a wall of ink protected him.

"Shame" Kabuto said, as he appeared at Sai's side with his chakra scalpel illuminating his right hand. Sai couldn't react but Sasuke saved him at the last second. Kabuto's attack clipped Sasuke's leg and was lethal enough to turn him back to normal.

"You saved me?" Sai asked, stunned that Sasuke would do that. He had been told that the Uchiha clan were heartless and power hungry, a danger to the village. He even had orders to kill him if necessary. "Why would you do that?"

"I've been spending too much time with Kakashi" Sasuke laughed, "I won't allow a fellow member of the village to die. Just don't tell anyone, I don't want people thinking that I'm going soft."

Jugo, who Sasuke had stunned with a Chidori in order to save Sai, regrouped with his allies and seemed eager to attack.

"I'll have to end this now" Sasuke gasped, feeling a little drained from his battle. "Kabuto should be back to full power and fighting all three of them will be tough."

"How can we do that?" Sai inquired, unable to see a way they could get through this.

"With the most powerful jutsu I can perform right now" Sasuke replied, while he made his hand signs. The speed with which he made them was impressive, but the most noticeable thing about them was the fact that his hands were covered in lightning. Sasuke finally brought his hands together, and pointed his two index fingers at the group.

"I was saving this for Itachi!" Sasuke screamed, "but I guess I can do a trial on you. Chidori Shockwave!"

A huge stream of lightning shot out from Sasuke's hands, at a speed almost as fast as lightning itself. There was no dodging this jutsu and its power collided with the Sound group. The lightning scarred the earth where it collided and Sasuke's opponents were on the ground. However, there were signs of life from Kabuto, who crawled over to his subordinates.

"Shit" he whispered, while staring at their unconscious bodies. "What a terrifying jutsu, it's amazing that they survived. Looks like Jugo's Cursed Seal defence shielded them both. We have to get out of here, being captured by the Leaf Village would be disastrous."

Kabuto used the blood on his hand to draw a line on the marking on his arm. Using the last of his chakra, Kabuto made the necessary hand seals and slammed his hand on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu" he gasped, as a white cloud of smoke appeared from nowhere. Once it cleared, a giant snake was left in its place to attack the Leaf Shinobi.

"Cover us until we can get out of here" Kabuto pleaded to the summon, who didn't give a direct answer. With that, Kabuto picked up Suigetsu and Jugo and stumbled off into the trees. Sai tried to send his ink creatures after them but the tail of the snake destroyed his creations effortlessly.

"There's no point," an exhausted Sasuke said, as he withdrew his weapon once again. "We've just got to concentrate on the battle at hand for now, they aren't a threat anyway. Come on, we should just kill this thing."

Using their remaining chakra, Sasuke and Sai were able to use a combination of Ink Jutsu and Fire Jutsu to kill the beast and end their ordeal.

"Can you draw a bird to contact the village?" Sasuke asked, while he breathed heavily.

"Not right now" Sai replied, a bland tone still evident in his voice. "I'm too low on chakra to draw anything, we'll have to wait a few hours."

"Typical" Sasuke muttered, not caring for Sai's feelings. "We should probably move into the trees then, we're sitting ducks standing in the open here."

Sasuke and Sai then helped each other into the forest, a combination of exhaustion and lack of chakra meaning that they were struggling to walk on their own. Even though both of them usually preferred to be alone, both of the boys found it slightly comforting that they had someone else with them.

As Kakashi read the words in front of him, he felt slightly concerned. In fact, he felt downright panicked as he learned of how the events unfolded. How did they find out? Where do they go from here? Will they have to spend the rest of their lives looking over their shoulder now?

"Hey, Kakashi Sensei" Naruto said, as he walked into the room without knocking.

"One second Naruto" Kakashi said, without looking up from the page. "I'm reading something important right now.

Naruto frowned at this and crossed his arms in a disapproving way.

"Your reading Make Out Paradise, how's that more important than talking to your student?" Naruto screamed.

Realising that it was pointless to argue, Kakashi reluctantly set down his book with his page bookmarked.

"_I really wanted to find out how they found out about the affair too" _Kakashi sulked, before turning to his student.

"So, now that Pervy Sage is gone" Naruto began, looking like he'd prepared a long speech. "You are my Sensei again, which means that you have certain obligations to me, your student. One of those obligations is-"

"You want more training so you can catch up with Sasuke, don't you?" Kakashi asked, having prepared for this since news came through of Sasuke's successful defeat of the Sound Shinobi that came after him.

"Of course I do!" Naruto declared, a stern look on his face.

"Well, fortunately for you I've been thinking about that" Kakashi replied, "and I've came up with a way for you to train quickly. If everything goes well, you'll catch up to Sasuke in no time."

"Really, Kakashi Sensei? How?" Naruto asked, very interested to learn how he could gain this power.

"Not yet" Kakashi responded, "I need to ask someone for help with it actually. He's a busy man, so I haven't had a chance to talk with him yet. I don't want to get your hopes up with it, just in case he can't help us for a while."

Naruto spent the next half an hour trying to coax information out of his Sensei but had no luck. After realising that Kakashi wasn't going to budge, Naruto miserably headed towards the door.

"I'll go check on Sasuke," he said, while opening the door. "Although, knowing him he's probably checked himself out already. As long as he's not reading any pervy books in his room, I'll be happy."

Kakashi chuckled as he heard the door slammed shut and he happily picked up his book and continued reading.

"_I'll talk to Tenzo as soon as possible" _he thought, _"So I can keep Naruto off my back."_

Naruto was surprised to find that Sasuke was still in his room when he got there. However, it was even more shocking to see him still in bed.

"Wow, someone was actually able to keep you here?" Naruto asked, "Who are they because I want to learn their secret."

"Shut up" Sasuke responded, "I'm here of my own accord. There's no point in rushing out of here before I'm fully recovered. That's the sort of thing that idiots such as you would do."

"Just had to throw an insult in there, didn't you?" Naruto snapped, before taking a seat next to his teammates bed. "Seriously, we're you hurt that bad?"

"It's not that" Sasuke said, "I think I've probably been injured worse before. I used that jutsu too soon and when I was low on chakra. If I'd have just fought it out normally, I'd probably be fine."

Over the next ten minutes that he sat there, Naruto could sense a difference in Sasuke and was left wondering what it was. He seemed even more distant and unresponsive than usual and seemed to have something constantly on his mind. Deciding to wait until Sasuke had recovered to ask, Naruto said goodbye and left the room. Sasuke watched him go and felt a pang of regret in his stomach.

"_Should I tell them?" _Sasuke thought, as he continued to fight his inner conflict. "_Or do I go to face Itachi alone?"_

The sun was setting as Suigetsu woke up with a start. It took him a few seconds to remember what had happened and why he had an aching pain all over his body. He then turned his attention to where he was and whom he was with. It appeared that he was in a damp cave, with the light pouring in through the open whole in front of him. Suigetsu struggled to lift his head properly and his limited vision didn't include any sign of life.

"Kabuto?" he called out to the shadows. "Jugo? Are either of you here?"

"You get panicked easy, don't you?" Kabuto replied, as he walked through the hole and into the cave. "Were you worried that we'd left you alone?"

"More hopeful than worried" Suigetsu shot back, not wanting to be out witted. "Where's Jugo anyway?"

"He's still unconscious" Kabuto replied, while pointing towards a figure in the corner. "He took the brunt of Sasuke's attack, so he'll probably take longer to recover. You were lucky Suigetsu; a small amount of that jutsu hit you and dealt you a lot of damage. If Jugo hadn't shielded you, it would have killed you without a doubt."

"I guess he really is my perfect counter" Suigetsu commented, "So what do we do now? You've healed us, so should we go back and see if we can get Sasuke?"

"It's been two days" Kabuto replied, stunning Suigetsu. "Sasuke is almost certainly back in the Leaf Village now, so trying to get him would be pointless. It looks like we've failed to get him once again."

Despite his searing pain, Suigetsu stood up at that moment. He was shaking with anger and stared at Kabuto fiercely.

"What about me then?" Suigetsu yelled, "My freedom is dependent on bringing back a vessel for Orochimaru. That vessel was Sasuke, so what do we do now?"

Suigetsu's questions caused Kabuto to remember back to a conversation he had with Orochimaru four days before.

"_Kabuto, this is our last chance to get Sasuke" Orochimaru hissed. "So, you need to know that if you fail to retrieve him-"_

"_I know" Kabuto interrupted, while looking very anxious. _

"_No, you do not know" Orochimaru replied, before coughing harshly once again. After he calmed down, the Sannin continued. "After it became obvious that we might not get Sasuke, I was thinking of other ways to continue my plans."_

"_Lord Orochimaru, you never said-"_

"_Don't interrupt me, Kabuto!" Orochimaru yelled, still able to strike fear into his assistant's heart despite his poor health. "I never told you because I didn't want to get complacent. Retrieving Sasuke is still the quickest and easiest way to achieve my goals but he is not the only way. There is another method that we can use."_

"_What are you saying?" Kabuto asked, while hoping not to receive more verbal abuse. _

"_I'm saying that if you can't get Sasuke" Orochimaru began, "Then I have a different target for you. There is another body that can be used for my purposes."_

"What we do now" Kabuto replied, "Is finish healing Jugo, which shouldn't take long. After that, we move out. We have a new target now and only a small window of opportunity in which we can act. Lord Orochimaru will have a vessel, you can count on that."


	10. Startling Revelations

Chapter 10: Startling Revelations

"Ouch!" Deidera screamed in pain, "Watch what you're doing okay? You're supposed to be fixing me up here not torturing me."

"You should be more grateful Deidera" a fellow Akatsuki member replied, "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have any arms at all."

"Yeah, Kakazu's right" a grey haired man agreed, "And if you hadn't fucked up with the two Jinchurki's you wouldn't be in this mess."

"I didn't ask for your opinion Hidan!" Deidera screamed back, showing his immaturity. "Anyway, your in no position to talk. At least I was able to capture a Jinchuriki in the first place, unlike you."

"Why, you smart mouthed little brat!" Hidan snarled, before revealing his scythe. "I'll rip your head off and use it as a-"

"That's enough" a deep voice called out, as the hologram of the Akatsuki leader appeared in the middle of the cave. He was joined by the holograms of the other members of the Akatsuki and they created a circle around the three physical members of the organization. "Where's Sasori?"

"Repairing some of his puppets" Deidera replied, "As soon as he's done that and I've been fixed up here, we'll head to the Sand Village to reclaim the Kazekage."

"That won't be necessary" the leader declared, "The Sand Village has tripled their defences and it's doubtful that your jutsu will be effective against him again. Besides, we've sealed enough of the One Tail anyway and he only has the smallest portion of its chakra sealed within him. I will select a different target for you in the future."

"Fine" Deidera responded hastily, while trying to suppress his obvious annoyance.

"Hidan and Kakazu" the leader continued, "You are to target the Nine Tails in the Leaf Village."

"Isn't that Itachi's target?" Hidan asked, breaking the cardinal rule about questioning decisions.

"Itachi has a different target for the moment" was the reply, "Also, you are currently the closest to the Land of Fire. Although, I must warn you that we expect to capture two more Jinchuriki in the next few days, so you must be prepared for sealing while you move."

"Understood" Kakazu confirmed, as the holograms disappeared. He then finished reattaching Deidera's missing limbs, before moving to the exit. "Let's move Hidan, there's plenty of bounties I want to collect in the Land of Fire before we get to the Jinchuriki."

"Damn it!" Naruto screamed, before falling back onto the floor in exhaustion.

"Not again!" another Naruto complained, before also falling away.

"This isn't even possible!" a third yelled, as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

On the sidelines, Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke watched bemused as hundreds of Naruto's tried desperately to add the Wind Chakra Nature to the Rasengan. It wasn't going all that well, as the group had been trying for over 8 hours and had very little to show for it.

"Sasuke" Kakashi said, "That clone over there is turning, stop it."

Sasuke quickly rushed over to the clone in question, and forced the handle of his sword into its face. The clone quickly dispersed and a potential crisis was averted.

"I've told you ten times already" Kakashi moaned, "To use the seals I gave you to suppress the Nine Tails chakra rather than just ending the jutsu through brute force."

"I prefer my way" Sasuke replied, as he joined his Sensei once again. "Why are you using a method that requires so much work on our end? I want to do my own training."

"Well, I was hoping to use one of my acquaintances from the ANBU to help" Kakashi responded, "But he's been too busy recently, so I'm using you. Don't worry, with the amount of clones Naruto is using and the speed with which he picks things up, he'll be done in no time."

"I wouldn't put it past him" Sakura said, "He's done some pretty amazing things in the past."

Sasuke noticed another clone being taken over by the Nine Tails and he quickly dispatched it with his Chidori spear.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, as he walked over to the pair. "Stop treating my clones so badly! You're supposed to be subduing the chakra to abusing them."

"Well, if you made any kind of progress with this jutsu, I wouldn't have to resort to such methods, would I" Sasuke shot back.

"I have made progress" Naruto replied, as he summoned another pair of clones. "Just you watch this, Sasuke."

Naruto created another Rasengan, which appeared similar to any Rasengan he had made previously. However, as the clones continued to spin the blue sphere of chakra, it began to change. There was a white glow coming from it and a faint sound of wind could be heard.

"Impressive" Kakashi said, as he stood up and held his arm out. "Lets see how it compares to a basic Rasengan."

As Kakashi created the jutsu, Sasuke observed a figure approaching from behind him. Sakura did the same and quickly jumped up to defend them against the unannounced visitor.

"It's fine, Sakura" Sasuke insisted, as he turned around. "Sai, are you still being told to follow me around?"

For the past two weeks after returning from their battle, Sai had been trailing Sasuke under orders from his superior Danzo. Sasuke had instantly discovered what was happening and had been able to convince Sai that he should go against these orders.

"No, that mission has been ended for now" Sai replied, while avoiding eye contact with both Sasuke and Sakura. "I'm actually here of my own free will."

"Why's that?" Sasuke enquired.

"I guess it was so that I could observe how you interact with your team" Sai mumbled, while looking embarrassed. "Ever since you spoke about your team to me, I've been reading about social interaction and I wanted to see it up close."

"Sasuke was talking about us? What did he say?" Sakura enquired, suddenly eager to join in the conversation. Sai was a little stunned at being spoken to directly like that, but soon regained his composure.

"Well, he said that-" Sai began, but soon stopped when he noticed that Sasuke was giving him a threatening look.

"This will be interesting" Sasuke said, while watching Naruto and Kakashi face off. The two Rasengan's clashed and created large flash of light coupled with a cracking sound. Kakashi stumbled back while clutching his hand, while Naruto stood in shock.

"Incredible" Sakura whispered, "He completely overpowered Kakashi Sensei's Rasengan and this jutsu isn't even complete yet."

"It's not that impressive" Sasuke remarked, "Kakashi's Rasengan isn't all that powerful anyway."

"Still, it's an impressive feat non the less" Sakura countered, "He's still got a long way to go as well."

"Whatever" Sasuke said, as he got up to leave. "I'm tired of doing this, I have things to do."

"What things?" Sakura asked immediately.

"Nothing you have to worry about" Sasuke replied, while walking away.

"What are you hiding?" Sakura demanded, "You've been like this for at least two weeks. You won't talk much and you always seem like you have something on your mind. Tell me what it is."

"It's nothing, I just want to train" Sasuke replied. "Sai can take my place with the training, he wants to get to know you all anyway."

Sasuke walked off with the sound of his teammates shouting ringing in his ears. He wasn't completely comfortable with it but he had made his decision. He just hoped that he wouldn't live to regret it.

Tsunade breathed a loud sigh as she looked at the pile of paper work that she still had to work through. It had been a stressful day so far and it seemed that things were only going to get worse. First, she had to deal with the budget for the Academy, which was always a pain. Then she had to meet with the Lord of the Land of Fire, who was difficult to deal with at the best of times. Finally, she had received words that a member of the ANBU appeared to have gone rogue and killed his squad. She had to put together a group of Hunter Nin to pursue him and pray that he hadn't leaked any village secrets.

It was almost a relief when there was a knock on the door and Jiraiya came barging in. His goofy smile and boyish charm brought relief to an otherwise dark day.

"Hey Tsunade, you're looking stressed" Jiraiya stated bluntly, in his usual deadpan fashion. "Is the life of sitting in a comfy office all day getting you down?"

"Hilarious as always Jiraiya" she replied, while setting down the report in front of her. "So, what are you doing back here anyway? You seem to avoid coming back here as much as possible."

"Maybe I got a little homesick?" Jiraiya suggested, while he took his seat. "Maybe I wanted to do some more research? You know, they don't make girls quite as well elsewhere as they do in the Leaf Village."

A quick strike to the head soon set Jiraiya straight and diverted him from his train of thought.

"Ever since I heard about the attack on Sasuke, I've been intensifying my research into the Akatsuki."

"Why would that attack have prompted you to do that?" Tsunade enquired. "That was orchestrated by Orochimaru, not the Akatsuki."

"It made me realise something" Jiraiya responded, his tone suddenly serious and his voice deeper. "The Shinobi of this village are in much more danger now than they have been for a very long time. We need to put an end to the Akatsuki and fast."

"Alright, well what did you find?" Tsunade pressed, suddenly much more eager to learn of what Jiraiya had found.

"I think the leader of the Akatsuki is in the Hidden Rain Village" Jiraiya replied, to Tsunade's horror. The Rain Village had always been notoriously secretive and difficult to infiltrate. It made sense that the leader of a criminal organisation might want to take refuge there.

"So, what's your plan then?" Tsunade whispered, secretly fearing what the answer would be.

"Well, first I intend to stay here for a few days, talk to Naruto and Kakashi about some things while some of my contacts clarify some details" Jiraiya began, "Then I'll infiltrate the Rain Village and see what I can find there."

"That's suicide!" Tsunade yelled back. "There's no way that I could allow you to go there on your own! I'd have to send a team of at least-"

"Don't insult me Tsunade" Jiraiya interjected, "You know full well that a large team would be detrimental to this mission. I'm one of the Sannin and you know full well what that means."

"Yes" Tsunade said, exasperated. "Still I-"

"You need some time to think about it, I suppose that's understandable," Jiraiya said, interrupting Tsunade once again. "I'll be around for a few days yet, so take your time to get used to it. Just remember, I'll be going no matter what."

With that, Jiraiya got up and left before Tsunade could speak again. She sat in her chair for the next few minutes, letting a mix of confusion and rage build up inside her. She knew that she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if something happened to Jiraiya, yet she also knew that the same would be true if they did nothing and the Akatsuki threatened the village. She cursed Jiraiya under her breath for putting her into this situation but her anger was interrupted as Shizune burst into the room.

"Lady Tsunade" she said, a look of concern spread across her face. "I have urgent news."

"What news?" Tsunade queried, already fed up with hearing urgent news for the day.

"It's about Sasuke Uchiha" Shizune replied, which let Tsunade know that she was about to hear the most important news of the day.

Hidan let out a dramatic sigh as Kakazu came out from the building. They had just been to collect the bounty of a priest that they had killed, which annoyed Hidan immensely. In his usual unsubtle manner, he made his feelings about this clear.

"This killing for money is fucking stupid" he moaned, "It's a waste of my time to go to these places with you. I want to get to the Leaf Village and slaughter everyone in sight. Oh yes, Jashin will be happy with me today."

"As usual Hidan, you completely miss the point" Kakazu replied, while walking off. Hidan quickly followed him, angry at the insult. "We collect bounties to raise money for the Akatsuki and we've already explained to you why that's necessary."

"I told you that I don't give a shit about that" Hidan replied, "I just need to kill for my religion and these deviations just annoy me."

The argument continued in this manner for another half an hour and the two Akatsuki members walked through the forest. Eventually, they came to a break in the trees and arrived in a small field.

"I'm just going to completely mutilate anyone with a high bounty, just to spite you" Hidan declared, as they walked through the field.

Kakazu then raised his arm to stop Hidan from continuing on their journey. He looked around them quickly and tightened his eyes in confusion.

"What is it?" Hidan asked, completely oblivious to whatever his partner had sensed.

"Come out" Kakazu yelled, to nowhere in particular. "I know that you're hiding in there, so your advantage has been lost. If you don't show yourself, I'll just destroy everything in my path until I find you."

A few seconds passed without any response. Kakazu groaned slightly at the extra work now involved, while Hidan just smirked.

"I guess they're too afraid to face us," he said confidently, without noticing the figure appearing from the trees.

"Not really" a soft voice hissed, as the figure stepped into the light. "Long time no see, Kakazu."

"Orochimaru" Kakazu growled, as he stared at the pale man in front of him. "I can't believe that you're showing your face like this. I thought you'd be too embarrassed after failing to capture a young Genin."

"Not at all" Orochimaru responded casually, "If you must know, I found a rather suitable replacement for him."

As Orochimaru spoke, he folded his arms, which revealed the ring on his hand. This wasn't missed by Hidan, who burst out laughing.

"You're wearing your Akatsuki ring?" he yelled, while holding onto his stomach. "That's so pathetic."

Orochimaru didn't respond to the insult and just gave a devious smile while he twisted the ring on his finger.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to see you" Kakazu said, "The bounty on your head is enormous, probably the biggest there is outside of the Akatsuki. I'm going to be getting a big payday today."

"Overconfidence like that will get you killed" Orochimaru countered, as he laughed under his breath.

"You think you can kill us?" Hidan shouted. "We're two immortals! You have absolutely no chance here."

"Immortals? Don't make me laugh" Orochimaru mocked. "You think that having five hearts and depending on sacrifices makes you immortal? You're both deluded, I'll soon show the world what true immortality is."

"Whatever, you're just boring me now" Hidan said, while he prepared himself to attack. "We should just kill you and get on with it."

"I don't think so" Orochimaru responded, while he made a hand seal. Suddenly, several thick ropes of wood burst out of the ground and wrapped around Hidan rendering him completely unable to move.

"Wood Release!" Kakazu exclaimed, "How did you do this?"

Orochimaru burst out in manic laughter as he watched Kakazu's confused expression. He had waited for this moment for a long time and he was enjoying it immensely.

"There was a child that I gave the First Hokage's power to when he was a baby" Orochimaru began. "It turns out that he's adapted to the power surprisingly well, far better than I thought he would. It turns out that he's a far better base for Hashirama Senju's power than any of my other test subjects. So, I took his body for my own and updated the powers he had to make myself stronger."

Kakazu began to sweat as he listened to Orochimaru's words and found that, for only the second time in his considerably long life, he was scared of an opponent.

"Kakazu, I heard you survived a battle with the First Hokage" Orochimaru said, as he prepared another seal. "Lets see if you can do it again!"

Team 7 met up at the training field the next morning to continue Naruto's training. Naturally, Naruto and Sakura were there first and Kakashi turned up around an hour later. Immediately, there was concern among the group as they realised that one very important person was missing.

"Where's Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, his voice filled with worry.

"We thought he was with you" Sakura replied, to sounds of agreement from Naruto. "I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon."

"Neither have I" Naruto admitted, as he considered several possibilities in his head. "We need to find him now."

The rest of the team agreed and they spent the next hour searching for Sasuke. They decided not to tell the Hokage until they had proof that he was missing which, after a full two hours of searching, they thought they had.

"No one's heard from him since yesterday, no one's even seen him" Naruto cried, as the team met up following their frantic search. "What do we do?"

"We have to tell the Hokage" Kakashi sighed, the signs of stress showing. "We need a full search of the village and the surrounding area just to make sure that he has actually gone."

"That won't be necessary" a soft voice called out as Sai appeared in front of them.

"Why not?" Sakura asked.

"The Hokage already knows about Sasuke" Sai said, while looking incredibly uncomfortable. "I'm actually here to tell you that you need to go see her right away because she has some important news."


	11. Chasing after Itachi

Chapter 11: Chasing after Itachi

"What's the news?" Naruto asked, as Sai walked with the team towards Tsunade's office. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Can't say I know" Sai replied, while avoiding Naruto's gaze. "I think he does his best to avoid me most of the time, so I can't say that I've noticed that he's missing at all. All I know is that I was told to come and get you while I walked past the office."

Kakashi stared suspiciously at Sai as they walked and he had to clench his fists in order to keep calm.

"_He's lying" _he thought, _"Why is that? I've heard that he's a member of Root, so I know that he's untrustworthy by nature. Yet, he couldn't possibly have a reason to lie here, could he?"_

The next few minutes were silent and awkward, as each member of the team contemplated the news that awaited them. Had Sasuke left again, or was it something even more sinister? Finally, they reached the door to the Hokage's office and Sai left them. Naruto went to knock on the door, but hesitated for a second. Naruto had been in that office more times than he could count for all sorts of reasons. Yet, he had never felt as nervous about entering before as he did at that moment.

"Avoiding the issue won't make it go away" Kakashi sighed. "We just have to deal with whatever the next few minutes brings us."

Kakashi took over and knocked on the door. Tsunade gave her permission to enter. Team Kakashi walked in gloomily and even avoided eye contact with the Hokage for a few seconds. However, when they finally looked up they were greeted with a tremendous site.

"Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed, when she noticed her teammate stood next to Tsunade. He'd changed clothes once again, with a sleeveless brown shirt and dark blue under shirt replacing his previous uniform. Signs of exhaustion were evident on his face but his very presence brought relief to the team.

"What's going on here? We were worried sick!" Naruto exclaimed, while throwing his arms out in a dramatic fashion.

"Sorry Naruto" Tsunade said, although Sasuke didn't seem to share that sentiment. "Sasuke and I have been up practically all night, talking through some things."

"What things?" Sakura asked, joining in with Naruto's inquisition of the Hokage.

"The details of your next mission" Tsunade responded, which drew surprised reactions from the group.

Kakashi let out another huge sigh as he connected the dots and realised just what that mission was. He knew that this day was coming but he had hoped that they would have at least a little longer to prepare.

"That's right Kakashi" Sasuke said, knowing what his Sensei was thinking.

"Your official mission" Tsunade said, regaining control of proceeding and placing a lot of emphasis on the word official. "Will take place two weeks from today. You are to go to the Uchiha hideout, where you will find rogue Shinobi and Akatsuki member Itachi Uchiha. You are to capture him and bring him back to the village alive, with killing only where necessary."

The rest of the team looked towards Sasuke at that moment, who stood with his head facing the floor. Despite this, two things were clearly visible. One was the Sharingan activated in his eyes and the other was the devious smile etched on his face.

Shikamaru felt some tiredness begin to creep in as he continued to jump from tree to tree at a frightening pace. He wasn't unfit, that was impossible for an active Shinobi, but he certainly wasn't used to the intense speed with which this squad mas moving. However, he didn't complain like he usually would and he didn't even want to ask for a break. They were chasing the Akatsuki and he knew that it was his duty to give it his all.

As he ran, he looked over at his team leader and Sensei, Asuma. Before that day, Shikamaru had never really paid much attention to the sash that Asuma wore. He just figured that it was something he picked up while he was travelling around and he didn't bother to ask about it. Yet, after hearing about his teacher's past and the large bounty on his head, Shikamaru was suddenly worried for Asuma.

"So, what kind of relationship did you have with that Chiruku guy anyway?" Shikamaru asked, needing to say something.

"What's brought this on all of a sudden?" Asuma countered, with an inquisitive look on his face.

"You're quite a heavy smoker, but you haven't lit up at all in the last two days" Shikamaru replied. "Whenever you quit like this, it's always because something serious has happened."

"How observant" Asuma responded, while allowing a wry smile to slip out. "If you can read me that easily, I guess I'm not hiding it very well."

"After playing Shogi with you so often, I can read you like a book" Shikamaru admitted. "But you haven't quit like this since the third died."

There was a pause as Asuma considered what Shikamaru had said, before he decided to reveal a little more of his rather mysterious past.

"Chiruku and I" Asuma began, before being interrupted by Koetsu.

"What's that up ahead?" he asked, as the team stopped near the edge of the forest. They had come to a small field, with a large mark in the middle. It was obvious that a battle had taken place not long ago and this brought many questions.

"I wonder if it was our Akatsuki pair" Shikamaru said, while he drew a kunai from his pouch. "We need to check out the damage."

"I'll go in first," Asuma said, and the tone of his voice let his lower ranking teammates know that this was an order. The team then moved over cautiously, constantly checking their surroundings for the sign of a trap. Finally, they reached the middle of the field and they were stunned at what they found.

"My god" Koetsu gasped, "I can't believe that someone could have done this."

Two men lay on the ground, both with torn Akatsuki cloaks surrounding them. The larger man with long hair had five black masks around him and each one was torn up and utterly destroyed. The man was quite clearly dead and judging by the state of his body, he had been crushed by a powerful force. A few seconds later, the grey haired man started coughing loudly.

"He's still alive!" Shikamaru explained, as he rushed over towards his body. "Tell us what happened."

"I can't believe he made a poison capable of killing me" Hidan croaked, as he struggled to breathe. "That bastard, I should have known that he'd have something like that."

"What are you talking about?" Asuma pressed, as it became obvious that Hidan would die in the next couple of minutes.

"He took our rings as well," Hidan muttered, while slipping into unconsciousness once again. "He's really as strange as they say. That Orochimaru is surely one of a kind."

Two weeks after Tsunade had announced their mission, Team Kakashi stood at the gate ready to go after Itachi Uchiha. Kakashi and Sakura were busy checking all of the supplies that they needed, while Sasuke stood off to the side in quiet contemplation. Naruto was scoffing down a pack of instant ramen, completely oblivious to the stress of his team.

Sasuke closed his eyes and allowed himself to daydream only for a moment. He thought back to the night where it all began. He could still remember everything in detail and he supposed that it would be like that for the rest of his life. He could remember the deadly silence that greeted him as he ran around the corner and into the Uchiha compound. He could see dark and empty houses that were bathed in the shadows from the moonlight and the bloody bodies that lay scattered on the floor. He could still feel that sense of panic and dread, as he ran through the streets to his home hoping that his family would be safe. It still angered Sasuke that he actually worried about Itachi at that time, oblivious to the revelations that he would learn just a few minutes later.

Despite all of that, it was the memory of walking into his house that he focused on the most. He almost slipped on the floor as he ran in and reached the door to the living area. He knew that someone was in there, even before he heard the cry for him not to come in. That call must have come from his father and Sasuke found some comfort in that his father's dying words were to try to protect him. He then opened the door slowly and saw-

"Sasuke" Kakashi called out, freeing Sasuke from his nightmare. "Are you ready to go?"

"I've been ready for years" Sasuke replied, as he prepared to leave. However, before he could step over the threshold and leave the village, Tsunade and a small group of ANBU appeared before them.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush on this" Tsunade said, while looking at Sasuke in particular. "Team Kakashi is to be taken off this mission and replaced with an ANBU squad."

"What!" Sasuke yelled, as he screwed up his face in pure rage.

"What's the problem?" Kakashi asked, hoping that the answer would be enough to calm Sasuke down a little.

"Orochimaru is the problem" she replied. "It seems he's found a powerful new body, as we've just found out that he killed two Akatsuki members. It's too big of a risk to let Sasuke go now, he is in serious danger."

"I don't care about that!" Sasuke screamed back. "I only care about killing Itachi and you are getting in the way of that. Now get out of my way!"

"Sasuke, Lady Tsunade is right" Sakura said meekly. "Maybe you should just let it go this time."

"Let it go?" Sasuke responded angrily. "Let it go? I can't let it go, killing him is the most important thing for me right now. I can't move on with my life until he's dead."

_Move on? _Kakashi thought. _That's the first time I've heard him talking about that. Maybe there really is more than just revenge to him._

"Can we talk for a second?" Kakashi asked Tsunade, who agreed. They walked off to the side to talk in private.

"You should just let him go" Kakashi advised.

"I'm surprised at you Kakashi" Tsunade replied. "I thought that you would care more about the well being of your student. You know how high the risks are now and if he's caught the ramifications for everyone will be enormous."

"I know" Kakashi sighed. "However, he'll just go anyway. We can't keep an eye o him all of the time and he'll probably be able to sneak out eventually. At least this way, we have a team to watch out for him."

The conversation continued in a similar vein for the next few minutes. Eventually, Kakashi turned back to his team and gave a thumb up.

"The mission is back on!" he declared, to Naruto and Sakura's visible delight. Sasuke remained emotionless and simply began walking forwards. His team soon followed and the mission to capture Itachi officially began.

Jiraiya cried out in pain as he heard the snapping of bone and felt the warmth of his blood drip from his arm. He was then flung through the wall and landed on the water. He slammed his feet onto the water's surface and willed himself to stop. Finally, he was able to recover from the shock of the surprise attack and to consider the situation he was in.

"Jiraiya, your arm!" Ma explained, as if Jiraiya wasn't aware that he had just lost a limb.

"What just happened?" Pa asked, wondering how they could have been attacked after killing all three of the bodies.

"It was a different face," Jiraiya said, while he gasped for air. "He must have summoned it before we caught them in the genjutsu."

There was then a flurry of movement and six flashes of black appeared from the hole in the wall. Six people stood on the ledge of the building and stared down at the injured Sannin. The six men were of different sizes and shapes but all shared two features. They had ginger hair and they all possessed the legendary Rinnegan in their eyes. The purple colour and spiral pattern were clear but the fact that six people possessed this mythological dojutsu was perplexing to say the least.

"The three we just killed are with them!" Ma cried out, to the horror of Jiraiya and Pa.

"One of them must have used a jutsu to revive them," Jiraiya stammered, knowing that the idea of a jutsu reviving the dead was both ludicrous and frightening. "Just what are you Pain?"

"That name is shared by all of us" the spikey haired man at the front of the group declared. As Jiraiya stared, he realised just who that man was.

"Yahiko?" Jiraiya asked, hoping that he was wrong. "How do you have Nagato's eyes?"

"You can still see Yahiko in me?" Pain asked. "You really are his teacher, aren't you? No mistake though, Yahiko is dead. Only Pain stands up here right now."

"Enough of this bullshit!" Jiraiya yelled. "Why do you have his eyes?"

"I already told you, I am Pain!" was the reply, as all six bodies jumped into the air. "I am god!"

The longhaired body that Jiraiya fought with first charged straight towards him. A long, black rod came from his arm and stabbed Jiraiya through the arm and chest. Jiraiya cried out in pain once again but this time there was some relief.

"He jumped into my barrier" Jiraiya said. "I finally managed to kill one."

"Are you ok Jiraiya?" Pa asked, concerned about his students welfare.

Jiraiya was about to reassure Pa, when he felt a terrible surge of chakra run through his body. He could feel the pressure of those eyes drawing him in and he attributed it to the rod in his chest. Once he pulled it out, Jiraiya returned to normal.

Jiraiya then looked at the body that lay before him and felt a sense of guilt. If only he had stayed, things might have turned out differently for Nagato and Yahiko. Yet, when the headband on the corpse slipped, Jiraiya had a horrible realisation.

"That's not Nagato" he gasped, stunned at what he saw. "I fought him years ago and gave him the scar on his forehead. Come to think of it, I recognise all of those bodies."

Jiraiya thought back and, even though he wasn't sure where from, he recognised the general appearance of every person there. What it meant, he wasn't sure but he knew that he had to find out.

"You two should leave, I don't want you to get hurt" Jiraiya said quietly. "I need to face him again, to confirm something."

"Are you crazy?" Pa asked. "You'll get killed if you do that alone."

"I need to figure out his identity, I'm sure that I'm close to it" Jiraiya replied.

"This is your only chance to get out of here," Ma shouted, hoping to make Jiraiya see sense. "Think about what you'll be giving up if you go out there again."

Jiraiya had an answer ready, but then stopped before he began. His thoughts drifted to Naruto, who was no doubt waiting in the village for his return. Jiraiya had let so many people down in his life before. He hadn't been able to protect his teacher from Orochimaru or protect his last student from the Nine Tailed Fox. He wasn't even able to protect these orphans from falling into the darkness. When he left, the red haired boy had sworn to protect his friends with his powers. Now, Jiraiya didn't even know what had happened to him. If he wasn't in any of those bodies, where was he?

"I've figured it out," Jiraiya said, realising that the answer was obvious from the beginning. "I know his secret. Although, I can't beat him in this condition. We need to get back to the village as soon as we can, this information is invaluable."

Sasuke led the way as they reached a small village. They ran across the rooftops and Sasuke's anticipation grew. His Sharingan was already active as they drew closer to the hideout. Naruto watched his teammate and felt much concern.

"Kakashi Sensei, can I ask you something?" Naruto said, looking towards his Sensei hopefully.

"What is it?" Kakashi replied.

"What happens when this mission is over" Naruto said. "What will Sasuke do then?"

"I worried about that before" Kakashi said, "but some things Sasuke has said recently gives me hope. For now, we have to concentrate on the battle to come so keep that from your mind."

"Someone's coming" Sasuke declared, which made the team stop in there tracks. A sharklike man carrying a huge sword appeared before them, smiling maliciously.

"Itachi only wants Sasuke to fight him, so the rest of you should stay here," the man declared.

"Kisame Hoshigaki" Kakashi said, as he revealed his own Sharingan. "Why don't we just take you out here and then continue on."

"Don't do that," Sasuke said, turning back towards his team. "I can't afford to be tired out when facing Itachi. I only brought you along so that we don't run into problems like this. I want to face Itachi alone, so you should stay here."

"Sasuke!" Naruto and Sakura called out, as Sasuke ran past Kisame alone. Kakashi sighed once again, something he'd done a lot in the last three years.

"Just like Itachi" Kisame said, as he watched Sasuke disappear in the distance. "Loners, driven on by the hatred they feel. Still, it's only right that Itachi will be the one to finish him off. After all, they say that an Uchiha can only be defeated one on one by another Uchiha right?"

"Shut your mouth!" Naruto yelled, as he prepared to attack. "I'll kill you!"

"No, Naruto" Kakashi declared, as he brought his arm across Naruto's chest to stop him from moving. "We take him down together. Looks like we're in look though. We get to take out two Akatsuki members in one day."


	12. Choosing Your Own Destiny

Chapter 12: Choosing your own Destiny

A chill ran right through Tsunade's body as she stared out into the distance. She wasn't sure if it was the cold of the morning breeze that had caused it, or if it was a sign of something more sinister. Whichever one was to blame, she knew that she didn't like it. However, it did serve a purpose in snapping her out of another one of her nostalgia induced daydreams, which were becoming much more frequent. Sitting on top of the Hokage's office didn't exactly help in this regard, as it only caused her to remember all of the times they had sat there as children, while Sarutobi Sensei lectured them. She could almost see Orochimaru's captivated face as he listened intently and hung on their teachers every word and she could practically hear Jiraiya's snores, as he drifted off to sleep out of sheer boredom. Without a doubt, they were the best days of her life and she would do practically anything to have them back.

"Damn it" she whispered, after realising that she had wandered off once again. "I need to stop doing this, living in the past isn't going to help me. Orochimaru is my enemy now and he has been for years. It doesn't matter how close we once were those are the facts. As for Jiraiya-"

Tsunade felt a lump in her throat as she tried to continue speaking. The fact was that she had no idea where Jiraiya was at that moment. He had been gone for days and hadn't sent any word in all of that time. While it was true that he had been gone for longer without contact, Tsunade couldn't help but worry about him. After all, he didn't usually infiltrate the notoriously secretive Hidden Rain Village where he would encounter the Akatsuki leader.

Thankfully, Shizune walked up the stairs to join Tsunade on the roof at this moment. Her apprentice's company was a welcome relief for her at a difficult moment.

"We've been able to stabilize all of the injured Shinobi" Shizune declared, referring to the two teams that had came back severely injured from their mission the night before.

"Thank goodness" Tsunade replied, trying to act as calm as possible. After all, the last thing she wanted was Shizune to worry about her. "Has the Feudal Lords advisors arrived yet?"

"I'm not sure," Shizune admitted, as she desperately began searching through the papers she had brought with her. "We haven't had any contact from the front desk so we can't be sure."

Tsunade let out an annoyed grunt at this news. She wasn't in the mood to deal with unprofessional Chunnin that had been greeting the visitors in Koetsu and Izumo's place while they investigated a case with Asuma. However, she knew that if she didn't intervene the problem would only get worse.

"They picked a bad day," Tsunade said, as he made her way towards the front gate. She spent the entire walk there wondering how she could have stopped Jiraiya from leaving. After deducing that it would have been possible, she started scolding herself for not leaving Katsuyu with him. That way she could have at least known where he was and how he was doing.

Predictably, Tsunade was greeted at the front desk by two tired Chunnin who had an unorganised mess of papers strewn in front of them. She didn't even have to open her mouth as the two Chunnin knew exactly what they had done wrong and they began apologising profusely, while confirming that the advisors had not yet arrived.

"This better be the last time that I'm down here," she grumbled, as she began to turn around and head back towards the office. However, before she did she noticed a man hobbling in the distance. She couldn't tell if he was in trouble or if she was just seeing things. She stared at him for the next couple of minutes, before making a horrible realisation.

"It's Jiraiya!" she yelled, as she began running towards him. "Send word to Shizune to bring out a couple of Medical Ninja at once!"

Tsunade eventually reached her comrade and almost burst into tears at the sight of him. His face was all battered and bruised and his right arm looked to be broken. His clothes were completely torn and he seemed to have lost his headband. Tsunade had never seen him in such a sorry state and it scared the life out of her.

"What the hell happened?" she asked, as she placed his left arm across her shoulders and took his weight.

"You see?" Jiraiya croaked, having completely ignored Tsunade's question. "I told you that I'd make it back."

* * *

><p>Sasuke wasn't sure what to think as he walked through the darkened halls of the Uchiha hideout. He had thought of nothing but this moment for years, it was all that he had ever desired. He was desperate to fight and kill Itachi yet there was a small portion of doubt eating at the back of his mind. It was a ridiculous notion but Sasuke couldn't help thinking: Will he be happy once Itachi is dead? He had spoke about moving on, but he didn't know where too. What do you do once you've completed your life goal?<p>

"_Never mind that," _Sasuke thought, as he turned the final corner that lead to the giant open room. "_I can't afford to think of anything else right now. If I let my concentration slip for a moment, he'll kill me. The rest of the Uchiha clan learned that the hard way."_

He entered the dimly lit room to be confronted by a sickening sight. Itachi was sat on a large stone chair at the far end of the room, casually relaxing as he did so. The clan's crest adorned the walls and the pattern lead back to the throne on which Itachi sat. Sasuke felt like he was being mocked, while Itachi stared back at him with his Sharingan active.

"I thought that you might back out of this" Itachi smirked, as he twisted ring on his finger. "After all, you've not proven yourself to be the most courageous person when you are in front of me."

"That was a long time ago" Sasuke snapped, as he clenched his fist tightly. "I have the resolve to fight you now, the resolve to kill you."

"Resolve? Don't make me laugh" Itachi snarled, before revealing the smallest of smirks. "I told you how to gain the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, yet you didn't have the resolve to kill you best friend to attain it. You had the chance to go to Orochimaru to gain power, yet you stayed in that pathetic little village without daring to venture out. You have weak resolve Sasuke and it is what will get you killed today."

The room was filled with the sound of birds chirping as a sword of lightning flew from Sasuke's hand towards Itachi. The attack penetrated Itachi's torso, who was wide eyed in shock. Itachi spat blood from his mouth and gasped for air. Yet, Sasuke frowned at this and appeared to be disappointed.

"How did you dodge that?" Sasuke asked, as he retracted his attack.

"Ah, so you saw through the genjutsu?" Itachi replied, as the Itachi directly in front of Sasuke disappeared to be replaced by another one, who had moved his head out of the way of the beam.

"These eyes can see through all of your deception" Sasuke growled, while he placed his hand at the base of his katana.

"I very much doubt that" Itachi retorted, as he stood up from his resting place. "Even if they can see through my weaker illusions, they cannot resist my special eyes."

"Your special eyes?" Sasuke mocked. "I swear to you that I'll rip those eyes out of your skull before night falls."

This line caused Itachi to laugh. It was a strange sound, as if Itachi wasn't sure exactly how to laugh. However, the intent behind it was clear and that was what had Sasuke feeling slightly worried.

"That's rather ironic" Itachi said, after he finished chuckling. "Because taking your eyes is the very reason that you are alive."

"_What? Why would he want my eyes?" _Sasuke wondered, while tension he felt increased tenfold.

"I won't bore you with the details, so I'll get to the point" Itachi continued, as he began to walk over to his younger brother. "The more you use the Mangekyo Sharingan, the closer it comes to losing it light. The only way to stop this is to exchange eyes with another Uchiha. Although, not everyone's eyes are compatible. Fortunately for me though, I have my new eyes right in front of me."

With that, everything suddenly made sense for Sasuke. The reason why Itachi had kept him alive became clear, it really was for his own benefit. Everything that Itachi had ever said to him was tainted with new meaning and those happy childhood memories were destroyed. While considering this, Sasuke missed the barrage of Shiruken that were flying towards him. He quickly reached for the Shiruken in his weapons pouch and Itachi's attack was deflected at the last second.

"Interesting," Itachi commented, as his eyes changed to his Mangekyo design. "You somehow managed to deceive my eyes as well."

* * *

><p>"Naruto! Duck!"<p>

Naruto did as he was told and flung himself to the ground, avoiding Samehada's sharp edges. Using the water that Kisame had summoned earlier, Kakashi fired a giant mass of water at his enemy, which was unsurprisingly blocked. Sakura's attempted attack was blocked, as was Naruto's Rasengan. Kisame grinned slyly, as he rested the tilt of his sword on the ground.

"Is this really all you can do?" he asked, sounding slightly disappointed at his opponents efforts.

"Not even close" Kakashi shot back, as he stretched out his right hand. Lightning sparked into life but the general shape was different from that of Chidori. It soon became obvious why, as several bolts of lightning shot out from the hand and formed the shape of a dog, which ran at pace towards Kisame. The attack collided with the Akatsuki member, who then disappeared in a wave of water.

"Of course it was a water clone," Kakashi said, as Naruto and Sakura stood beside him. "Are you two running low on chakra as well?"

They both nodded their confirmation as they gasped for air. Kakashi sighed and shook his head.

"There's probably no point in trying avoiding this then" Kakashi said, as the water behind them exploded into life. Kisame howled as he swung his sword backwards.

"So long!" he screamed, as he swung his sword straight through the body of the three Leaf Shinobi. However, rather than the familiar sight of torn flesh and blood, all Kisame saw was two white clouds of smoke and a small mass of lightning. He stared at the area in disbelief before smiling once again.

"Now then Itachi" Kisame purred, before staring in the direction of the Uchiha compound. "What will you do now?"

* * *

><p>"You've blown your cover, there's no point hiding anymore" Itachi called out to the shadows.<p>

Three bodies jumped out and stood next to Sasuke. They all stared down Itachi, ready to attack and end Sasuke's nightmare.

"Kakashi, Naruto and some girl" Itachi remarked, which seemed to touch a nerve with Sakura. "I'm surprised at you Sasuke. I always thought that you wanted to face me alone."

"Sorry to disappoint you" Sasuke replied, "but I'm not following the path you set for me. I refuse to be the loner that you tried to create. Once I'm finished with you, I will no longer be an avenger."

Itachi studied his brother for a moment, completely confused about how this had happened.

"_How has his path changed so much?" _he wondered, perplexed by the drastic change in his brothers personality. In any case, he had bigger problems at that moment. Fighting four Shinobi in his condition was going to be next to impossible.

"Ready Naruto?" Sasuke asked, as he placed his hands together and made a hand sign.

"Let's do it" Naruto responded confidently, as he made a seal of his own. They then made a succession of hand signs.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Wind Style: Wind Release Stream!"

Sasuke's fire reacted with Naruto's wind, causing Sasuke's technique to expand violently and cover a much greater area. The attack burnt through the ceiling and created several holes that left the room exposed to the elements. Itachi dived out of the way but burnt the bottom of his cloak. As he landed, Sakura jumped towards him with her fist pulled back. Itachi was able to avoid the potentially lethal hit and knock her away, before pulling out his kunai and blocking Kakashi's incoming sword.

"Why am I not surprised?" Kakashi asked, before he prevented Itachi's clone from sneaking up on him. Itachi glared at the team as they regrouped and noticed that Sasuke was gleaming with excitement.

"Looks like we've got you a little worried" Sasuke smirked. Itachi's eyes reverted to the Mangekyo once again and he closed his right eye.

"Enough of this" he declared, as he right eye began to bleed. "_Amaterasu!"_

Black flames suddenly appeared and collided with Sasuke. Sakura screamed out in horror as the Uchiha's body fell backwards. She tried to help him, but Naruto and Kakashi pulled her back.

"You don't want to go near those flames," Naruto advised, as he looked on.

"What are you saying!" she cried, stunned that Naruto would just watch Sasuke burn to death.

"We've prepared for this" Kakashi reassured her. "Just watch."

Incredibly, the flame just seemed to fall off of Sasuke. He then stood up in his Cursed Seal form, with the only difference being a lack of wings.

"I had to remove both of them," Sasuke said bitterly. "He caught me by surprise, I took too long in severing the wings. I was at least able to keep the flames from touching my body, so that's something."

Sasuke reverted back to normal, only to notice Itachi casting the jutsu once again. He yelled out and the team dived in several directions and ran up the walls, only for the flames to follow them.

"He won't be able to keep this up for long" Sasuke yelled, as he tried to locate exactly where his teammates were.

"Neither will we" Naruto pointed out, as the heat from the flames burn the back of his legs.

"Take this outside!" Kakashi yelled, as he smashed through the ceiling with his Lightning Blade. Naruto did the same with his Rasengan while Sasuke and Sakura jumped through the holes that had been created earlier. Standing on the roof, Sasuke looked up into the black sky and smiled.

"Good job" Sasuke said, "You've prepared the sky perfectly. I can definitely use this."

A giant flame smashed through the roof and Itachi jumped through the hole that was created by it. His right eye was stained with blood and he was gasping for air.

"Kakashi, get them far enough away" Sasuke said, as he ran up the nearby wall. Kakashi did as he was told and lead a protesting Naruto and Sakura away from the area. Sasuke raised his left arm in the air, where it glowed with lightning.

"Did you send them away to save them from me, Sasuke?" Itachi taunted.

"Just so you know, you should thank Kakashi for this jutsu" Sasuke yelled, ignoring what his brother had said. "We've been working on this for the past year and we're very pleased with the results. Not even you can't dodge this jutsu. Now disappear, with the thunderclap."

As Sasuke was speaking, a beast shaped mass of lightning had appeared in the sky. Once he had finished, Sasuke dropped his arm and the lightning followed the movement. In a flash of light, the attack destroyed the entire building and the surrounding area. Sasuke hadn't been expecting the wall he had been standing on to give way and there was a horrible thud as he hit the ground. Yet, the pain in his back was numbed by feelings of adrenaline and elation.

"_It's finally over, isn't it?" _he thought, as he allowed himself a slight laugh.

"Not quite" a familiar voice called out. In a horrifying fashion, Itachi stepped out from the rubble. His black cloak disintegrated and fell from him as he staggered to his feet.

"If it wasn't for this, I'd be dead" Itachi said, his voice barely over a whisper. A red mass of chakra then surrounded him and expanded outwards. Within seconds, a red skeleton had emerged, with Itachi at its centre. Several layers of armour were then added, to complete Itachi's ethereal guardian. "This is the third Mangekyo technique. This is the Susano'o!"

Sasuke slowly started walking backwards, trying to ignore the searing pain that was now shooting up and down his back. Itachi followed him ominously, his arm outstretched. Sasuke did everything he could to repel his oncoming brother, which mostly consisted of throwing weapons, but he couldn't stop the onslaught.

"_Their too far away" _Sasuke realised, as he desperately looked around for his teams assistance. _"We counted on this working and it didn't. I have no way of stopping this."_

Sasuke then backed into a wall and found himself cornered. He realised that it was what was left of the wall he had been on top of just five minutes earlier. It felt strange that he had felt so superior and victorious about this battle. Now, he could only feel despondent.

"They are my eyes!" Itachi said, his condition deteriorating rapidly. He began babbling nonsensically as he reached his brother and pushed his hand towards Sasuke's face. They were about 2 feet apart from each other and Sasuke knew that he could do nothing about the situation.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke noticed a flash of metal. Using the last amount of strength he had, he caught the small sword and rammed it straight into Itachi's chest. There was a moment when everything was still, as the brothers contemplated what had happened. The Susano'o disappeared and Itachi swayed forwards and backwards slightly, apparently unsure what to do. Eventually, he stumbled forwards and touched Sasuke's forehead before hitting the floor. Sasuke stood still, uncertain about what he should do. Thankfully, his team appeared within seconds and were right by his side.

"Is it over?" Naruto asked, as he stared at Itachi's dead body.

Sasuke nodded, before he began to fall to the floor. Naruto and Kakashi caught him in mid-air and pulled him back up. They both kept their arm around him, to keep him steady.

"Let's get back to the village" Kakashi declared, relieved that it was all finally over. He lifted Sasuke onto his back, before turning to Naruto. "Take Itachi's body, we can learn a lot from it. Now, we can get going."

"I don't think so," a deep voice declared from behind them. The team spun around to be greeted by a strange looking man. He wore an orange mask with one hole to the right side and his clothes were all black and tight fitting. He then reached up to his mask and began to slide it off.

"I think that Sasuke will want to talk to me after he sees this" he continued, until he revealed his right eye. To everyone's shock, a Sharingan stared back at them. However, before anyone could do anything, black flames consumed the man. He screamed out in pain and stumbled backwards, falling behind the rubble that was still gathered there. The group immediately turned to Sasuke and saw blood pouring from his left eye. Before they could start to ask any questions, Sasuke passed out.

"Run!" Kakashi ordered. The group headed straight for the nearby forest and disappeared into the trees. A few seconds later, the Masked Man walked out from the rubble.

"You want me to get them for you?" Zetsu growled, as he emerged from the ground.

"Getting Sasuke in this situation wouldn't be to my advantage" the man replied, before turning back towards Zetsu. "As for the other two targets, I have a much better idea for getting them."


	13. The Next Step

Chapter 13: The Next Step

There was a sickening thud as the dead body fell from the air and collided in the ground. The blue chakra that surrounded him disappeared and retreated into the mouth of the terrifying statue. Deidera sighed dramatically and sat on the edge of the finger he was standing on.

"Doing this with only five of us was both unnecessary and tiring" he moaned. "How come Kisame and Itachi were able to skip on this?"

"They had other matters to attend to" Pain replied in his usual monotonous tone. "I have already told you this Deidera and I don't like repeating myself."

Deidera muttered something under his breath but did not dare project his voice so that it was loud enough to be audible. Sasori, who had created a new body for himself, opened his mouth to berate Deidera once again but was stopped in his tracks by the flicker of another hologram. The unique outline of Kisame became visible and he greeted each of the Akatsuki in turn.

"So, you've come alone" Pain began, making the point that everyone present was thinking. "Does that mean that Itachi is dead?"

A dramatic pause followed the question as everyone turned their gaze to Kisame.

"Yes, he's gone" Kisame stated bluntly, with just a hint of regret in his voice. "He insisted on fighting Sasuke alone and it seems that he was unable to handle him."

"How unfortunate", the woman next to Pain commented. "Another member of the Akatsuki has fallen and a powerful member at that. We should all take a moment to contemplate this loss."

Unsurprisingly, Deidera seemed to disagree with this suggestion.

"Why should he get special treatment?" Deidera yelled angrily. "It's not like we did this for Kakazu or Hidan did we. Its Itachi's own fault that he's dead, he's the one that chose to fight alone and he doesn't deserve my respect."

"Konan wanted to respect the loss of his strength, not the way he died" Pain replied calmly. "Itachi's visual prowess was unrivalled and could defeat even the most powerful of opponents as you know Deidera. Besides, our next task will be much more difficult to complete without him."

The last line did not go unnoticed by the group and they suddenly became intrigued by the possibilities of this new task.

"There are now only two Tailed Beasts left to capture" Pain continued, knowing that he had his audience captivated. "I've decided that our plan of attack shall be different. Kisame, you will go after the 8 tails Jinchuriki in the Hidden Cloud Village alone."

"Understood" Kisame replied, sounding positively delighted about his upcoming challenge.

"Sasori, Deidera and I will go after the Nine Tails in the Hidden Leaf."

Sasori and Deidera gave each other a sceptical look, before a hideous smile emerged on both of their faces. The time for their revenge had come at last.

* * *

><p>Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, just enough so that he could the light pouring in from the window. He could feel warm cotton sheets wrapped around him and the soft pillow that supported his heads. He then sat up to take a proper look at his surroundings and wasn't surprised by what he saw. He was in the hospital once again, possibly in the same room as he was last time. His body ached all over and he noticed that bandages were wrapped around some of his more serious wounds. He felt a strange burning sensation in his left eye, unlike any pain he had ever felt before.<p>

"_What is this?" _he wondered, as he tried to think back to the battle. He remembered the feeling of blood trickling down the left side of his face but he couldn't remember what had caused it or why. In fact, it was difficult to remember anything at all.

Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted as the door to his room slowly crept open. Sakura crept in slowly at first, before realising that Sasuke was awake and sitting up.

"Sasuke!" she cried, as she ran over and embraced him with a hug. "We thought that you wouldn't wake up for a few more hours at least!"

This wasn't the first time that Sasuke had been in a situation like this with Sakura but each time seemed to get less awkward. Still, the best that he could do was lightly touch her back, the closest that he had ever given anyone to a hug since he was a child. As she pulled away, Sakura revealed the wide smile that was plastered onto her face and this caused a memory of the night to come to the surface.

"_He was smiling" _Sasuke realised, Itachi's beaming face projecting in his mind. _"Why was he smiling? I had stabbed him; he was seconds away from death. Was he still that confident that he would beat me? Is he really dead?"_

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, worried by Sasuke's sudden change in expression. "You beat Itachi, you should be happy."

"Did I?" Sasuke replied. "How do I know that he's really dead? I don't remember-"

"Sasuke, he's definitely gone" Sakura reassured him, grabbing his hand without thinking. "His body is in the morgue and due to be examined any day now."

Sasuke breathed a small sigh of relief now that he was satisfied that Itachi was dead. However, a strange feeling soon came over him to replace the stress. What was left for him now? He had spoke about moving on before, but was that really possible? What would he move on to? What does a person do once they have accomplished their life long goal?

Sasuke then noticed that Sakura still had hold of his hand, so he attempted to pull his hand away. Sakura, feeling slightly embarrassed, quickly let go.

"Where are Naruto and Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, trying to change the subject to save Sakura's shame.

"Oh, they were here but had to leave about ten minutes ago" she replied. "They had something important to talk about with Lord Jiraiya."

"Wow, you got beat up pretty bad"

"Thanks for telling me that Naruto, I hadn't realised."

Jiraiya was sat up in his own bed and surrounded by several of the Leaf Village's most important Shinobi, as well as Naruto. The tone of the conversation when he and Kakashi had entered the room was obviously serious, well obvious to everyone except Naruto.

"So do I get to lecture you on keeping your guard up now or what?" Naruto teased, slightly enjoying the change in circumstances between his master and himself.

"Don't dignify that with a response" Tsunade warned Jiraiya, while looking to get the discussion back on track. "This is serious Naruto, think about what kind of power this enemy must have to put Jiraiya in this state!"

Naruto's facial expression changed drastically when considering this.

"So, what can you tell us about the Akatsuki leader?" Kakashi asked.

"Not as much as I had hoped," Jiraiya replied despondently. "However, there are four things that I need to tell you. The first is that Pain has the Rinnegan and an incredible array of techniques and I only know about half of them. The second is that these abilities are spread across six bodies, each of which can only use one type of technique. The third and most important is that the real Pain is not one of those six bodies."

"So how does he control them?" Kakashi enquired once more, getting straight to the point.

"I don't know and I had no way to find out," Jiraiya muttered. "I'm hoping that the hostage I brought as well as the body will help us to figure that out."

"Wait a minute" Naruto said, interrupting the silence that had followed Jiraiya's words. "Why am I here if that's all you were going to say? There's not really much I can do about this."

Jiraiya began laughing heartily at this, unsurprised by his student's confusion.

"Well because you're the Akatsuki's number one target you'll need all the help you can get" Jiraiya began. "Also, I've brought you here for another reason. You're training with me isn't over, I've got one last thing to teach you."

Naruto's face lit up at the mention of training. His attempts to catch up with Sasuke had so far been unsuccessful, with his new Wind Style Rasengan being too dangerous to use. Although, his enthusiasm was soon curtailed when he realised that there was a potential stumbling block in his plans.

"How are you supposed to train me when you're in this state?" Naruto demanded to know.

"Well, when I said that I was training you I guess that wasn't technically true" Jiraiya replied, a cheeky smile on his face. "We'll leave tomorrow, so be prepared for the craziest training you'll ever go through!"

* * *

><p>Naruto stood anxiously at the gate, tightly gripping the straps of his backpack that clung tightly to his shoulders. He had just finished talking to Sasuke, who was still stuck in the hospital despite his improving condition. Naruto had spent the entire time gloating about the new techniques he was going to learn and how he was going to make Kirin look like child's play. Predictably, Sasuke pretended that he didn't care but Naruto knew different. His blank expressions and stubborn silence was just an act, he was jealous on the inside, probably.<p>

Naruto then noticed a small party of Shinobi approach him. In the middle of the mess of green and blue, a large grey haired man limped slowly towards him. Even though he had already seen him injured, Naruto was surprised by how bad Jiraiya still looked. His clothes were dishevelled and ripped and his face was covered in various scrapes and cuts. Naruto had assumed that his Sensei would have recovered by now but that as obviously not the case. As he got closer, Naruto noticed that a small orange toad was perched on Jiraiya's right shoulder.

"Isn't this place supposed to be a long distance from here?" Naruto asked. "You don't look like you'll be able to walk very far and I won't carry you there!"

"Relax kid" Jiraiya yawned, before turning to the toad on his shoulder. "Go tell the boss and Ma to reverse summon us to Mount Myoboku, he should be expecting us."

"Understood!" the toad squeaked, before disappearing in a cloud of white smoke.

"What's a reverse-"

As Naruto spoke the scene in front of him suddenly changed. The familiar sight of the Leaf Village with its assortment of small buildings and rocky footpath was replaced with the strangest place that Naruto had ever seen. Wonderfully colourful plants were dotted around several sections of grass and various lakes. There were bronzed statues of toads everywhere he could look, while real life toads lazed around. He thought that he could even see Gamabunta in the distance, although there were several toads of a similar size around him so it was hard to tell.

"Ah, so this is the kid you were telling me about Jiraiya?"

Naruto spun around to look for the source of the speech. It took him several seconds before he noticed the small green toad that was staring up at him from a small rock on the ground. The toad reminded Naruto of the Third Hokage but unlike with the majority of Leaf Shinobi, that didn't mean that Naruto was inclined to be respectful.

"Hey Pervy Sage" Naruto whispered, trying to catch Jiraiya's attention. "Who's this old geezer frog?"

"You idiot" Jiraiya said casually, while slapping the back of Naruto's head with a surprising amount of force. "This is Fukasaku, one of the Two Great Sage Toads. He's the one who taught me how to use Sage Chakra and he'll do the same for you."

Despite the importance that Jiraiya had placed on the phrase, Naruto seemed completely unimpressed by this.

"So, this Sage Chakra is pretty awesome then?" Naruto enquired, getting to the heart of the matter straight away.

"He's just like you were when you first came here Jiraiya" Fukasaku chuckled. "He got that nickname right as well, I might start calling you Pervy Sage myself."

Jiraiya started laughing as well, before being forced to stop and grabbing his chest. He began coughing in a sickly manner, which highlighted how damaged he still was.

"Take a rest Jiraiya, you didn't even need to come in the first place" Fukasaku said sternly, in a way that reminded Naruto of warnings he had received from Jiraiya himself.

"Don't worry, I'll be going back soon" Jiraiya said, before he began limping towards the large building in the behind them. "I just need to have a little conversation with the Older Sage before I do. Have fun Naruto."

* * *

><p>At the edge of a forest, situated on the edge of the Hidden Leaf Village, stood seven figures in distinctive black cloaks. Six of them shared many traits, which included the Rinnegan in their eyes, the black pins that adorned their faces and the orange hair that came in various lengths and shapes. The seventh person was a blue haired woman who, even though she didn't have the distinctive dojutsu, had the same dead look in her eyes.<p>

"It looks very convincing Konan," the nearest body, who had short, spiked hair, commented while looking at the tallest tree in the area. This main body appeared to be the leader of the group and was the one who spoke the most often. "Leave a paper clone behind, it would be better if you joined the invading force yourself."

"Understood" Konan replied softly.

"A very wise idea, as I expected from you Nagato" a deep voice called out from the shadows. All seven faces turned to watch as the man with the mask stepped out from the trees.

"Madara" Pain responded, not appreciating the use of his real name. "Why are you here now of all times? The rest of the Akatsuki will be arriving soon, are you planning on revealing yourself?"

"No, I'm just here to give you two extra orders" he revealed. "The first is that you are to reclaim Itachi Uchiha's body. The second is related to his brother Sasuke."

Madara then explained precisely what his orders regarding Sasuke were, before he began walking back towards the forest.

"I expect you to perform these tasks perfectly Nagato. After all, you have never lost a battle."

With that, Madara disappeared in a vortex centred around his right eye. Seconds later, a large clay bird landed in the area carrying Deidera and Sasori, who was in his puppet body.

"What's this?" Deidera asked, as he scanned the bodies in front of him. "Who are these guys? Are there members of the Akatsuki that we don't know about?"

"That is not of your concern Deidera" Pain replied bluntly. "Now, since Itachi is not with us we won't be able to get around the Leaf's barrier jutsu. That means that we will have to go through the air."

"Of course, you need my art to get in there" Deidera gloated, much to Sasori's annoyance.

"You will only carry Konan and Sasori, we have our own way of getting there" Pain replied. "Kisame should be engaging the Eight Tails any time now which means that we will accomplish our goals within the next few hours. Remember, the Nine Tails must be taken alive so be careful not to kill him."

Pain shot Deidera a meaningful glance, before turning in the direction of the village.

"The Hidden Leaf Village will now know Pain!"

* * *

><p>Sasuke walked out of the hospital alone, having kept his release date a secret from his comrades. He didn't want a fuss, especially with the excitement that had broken out in the Village when news filtered through regarding his defeat of Itachi.<p>

"Thought you could sneak out of here alone did you?"

Sasuke didn't even need to turn around to know who had addressed him. Of course, he had expected Kakashi to show up at some stage.

"What's more you have to wear your uniform again!" Kakashi joked, as he looked up from his book for a moment.

"Apparently my last set of clothes were thrown out, so this was my only option" Sasuke replied, not wanting to be drawn into Kakashi's game. It was a well-known fact that Sasuke disliked the Leaf Village uniform.

"So, what's the plan now?" Kakashi asked casually.

"Probably going to get some lunch, that hospital food was disgusting," Sasuke replied quickly. He knew what Kakashi really meant but he didn't feel like talking about his future. He had plenty of time to worry about it later.

"I see" Kakashi said, before snapping his book shut and returning it to his pouch. "Listen, there's something that had happened after your fight with Itachi that we need to talk about. A man-"

Kakashi didn't get to finish his sentence due to the eruption of screams that could be heard in the distance. Loud crashes echoed across the village and a large cloud of white smoke suddenly appeared to the left of the two roughly 1km away.

"It must be the Akatsuki" Sasuke said, as he reached for his katana. "What do we do?"

"You take care of that" Kakashi replied, while pointing at the smoke that had yet to clear. "I'll go help the others in any way I can. Meet up with me when you're done, no doubt that we'll need help."

Kakashi then body flickered away, leaving Sasuke alone. The smoke soon cleared to reveal a giant rhino that seemed ready to attack. Sasuke felt a small flutter of fear pass through his chest, before he was able to calm himself.

"You think that you frighten me?" Sasuke taunted, not expecting an answer. "I survived a battle with Itachi, I can do anything!"


	14. Painful Loss

Chapter 14: Painful Loss

Jiraiya and Tsunade sat on opposite sides of the desk, paralysed by shock. They had just been discussing strategies to counter the Rinnegan when a giant explosion cut across their conversation. It was possible that some Shinobi had been practising a technique that got a little out of hand; in fact that was the more likely explanation. Still, the timing of the booming sound could not have been more ominous.

"What do you think that was?" Tsunade asked nervously, as she glanced at the window behind her.

"It's probably nothing but I don't think we should take that chance" Jiraiya replied, while slowly getting up from his seat. His movements were slow and gentle, as his injuries still limited his actions. "I'll tell the ANBU outside to investigate, we can't be too careful in times like these."

Before Jiraiya could head towards the door, a much louder explosion boomed out across the village. The force of it shook the office that they stood in and was followed by the panicked screams of the villagers. Tsunade rushed over to the window and watched as the innocent bystanders ran off in different directions and as several Shinobi ran towards the source of the noise.

"I never would have imagined" Tsunade whispered, as she nervously bit her finger. "For them to be as direct as this, it's just-"

Tsunade was interrupted as Shizune burst into the room, breathing heavily and sweating profusely.

"Lady Tsunade!" she gasped, while struggling to catch her breath. "We're under-"

"I know" Tsunade replied gravely. "Send word to Iruka to organise the evacuation of the villagers, although we can't afford to delay our attack as we normally would. Shizune, you need to round up all of our medical ninja in order to deal with the inevitable injuries. I'll head to the roof and summon Katsuyu, working together we should be able to reduce casualties considerably."

"Yes, ma'am" Shizune responded, as she ran off to complete her orders. Jiraiya stood by, impressed with Tsunade's quick response to the situation. Even though she often allowed her emotions to get out of control, she was incredibly smart and always knew exactly what she needed to do. He supposed that's why she made such a good medic and he knew that's why she made a good Hokage.

"Jiraiya" she said softly, disrupting Jiraiya's thoughts. "I don't want you to fight this time, in your current condition you'd be massacred."

Jiraiya didn't argue the point; in fact he had no intention of fighting anyway. Still, he didn't want to talk back to Tsunade while she was on a roll.

"All I want is for you to call Naruto back" Tsunade continued, while she walked towards the door. "He's been gone for over a week, so I imagine that he'll have mastered Sage Mode by now."

Jiraiya chuckled at the last line, amused by the sheer ridiculousness of the idea that anyone could master such a technique in only a week. Yet, he found himself agreeing with her. After all, this is the same boy who mastered the Rasengan in a similar timeframe.

Jiraiya bit his thumb in order to draw the blood necessary for a summoning. However, he thought better of making the seals while still standing in the cramped office. His chakra control was still causing him problems and he didn't want to accidentally summon Gamabunta on top of the building. So, he made his way down the stairs of the office and stepped outside. The area around him had been left untouched for the moment but the sounds of battle could be heard all around him. Deciding that they couldn't afford to wait any longer, Jiraiya made his first seal. Yet, he was interrupted once again as a deep voice spoke up from behind him.

"Don't be a fool Jiraiya. Summoning the Nine Tails back here is exactly what they want you to do."

Jiraiya glanced behind him, to see the only man in the entire village that he despised. His bandaged eye and covered arm always aroused Jiraiya's suspicion, not to mention the way that he always skulked in the shadows and operated the underground ANBU organisation known as Root. Sarutobi Sensei had always laughed off these concerns, claiming that he'd trust Danzo with his life. However, Jiraiya probably would have said the same about Orochimaru once upon a time.

"Well, it's not up to you" Jiraiya declared, as he turned to face the stubborn old man. "Naruto is one of the strongest Shinobi we have, so I'll be making sure that he gets here."

Jiraiya noticed Danzo's left eye twitch, just for a moment after he finished speaking. Was it anger? Should he be worried about Danzo attacking him now?

Unfortunately, Jiraiya's delay cost him dearly. He felt a presence suddenly sneak up behind him but in his condition he was too slow to react. Within seconds, a long black rod pierced him just below his shoulder, causing him to yell out in pain.

"Once again, I was able to attack you from behind Sensei" Pain mocked, as he twisted the rod. "Now then, I need you to tell me where-"

Pain stopped speaking as he noticed Danzo leaning up against the opposite wall. Without speaking, he simply dropped Jiraiya from his grasp and turned his attention to the elderly man.

"_That's interesting" _Danzo thought, as an old memory resurfaced while looking upon Pain. "_I could have sworn that I saw this one die many years ago."_

Without warning, Pain dived towards Danzo and thrust the bloodstained rod through his chest, driving it as deep as possible.

"Know Pain!" he spat, having completely lost all of the composure he had just moments ago. He stared deep into Danzo's eyes, just waiting to see the light leave them forever.

"Not this time" Danzo croaked, before he disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. After spending a minute or so recomposing himself, Pain glanced back, only to see that Jiraiya was lying on the ground seemingly lifeless.

"This village must suffer" Pain declared, before he ran off to find more Shinobi to confront.

* * *

><p>On a normal day, the Shinobi of the Leaf Village would notice if two hooded intruders were sat on top of the statue of the Third Hokage. In fact, it was entirely possible that Shinobi did notice the pair but could not afford to investigate any further. After all, why would they be worried about that when compared to the forces on the ground? Of course, they had been relying on this when they arrived.<p>

"How predictable" the first man hissed, as he played with the three rings on his fingers. "Tobi must be getting impatient now, if he's sending Nagato here directly. Don't you think so, Kabuto?"

"Indeed, Lord Orochimaru" Kabuto replied, with a horrid smile appearing across his face. "It was exactly as you thought, the Akatsuki are beginning to feel the pressure."

Orochimaru continued to stare out across the village, feeling not one single ounce of regret or sorrow at seeing his former home be torn apart.

"The question now is what to do" Orochimaru pondered. "I would quite like to see the village be annihilated but I can't afford to see the Akatsuki accomplish their goals. I have to find a way to make sure that both happens."

"My lord, is that really possible?" Kabuto asked, wondering what options lay in front of them.

Orochimaru didn't appreciate his subordinates questioning him and he shot Kabuto a momentary look, which conveyed this feeling quite obviously. The young spy felt a cold chill run through his body as his master's eyes bore into him. Not for the first time, he thought that there was a real possibility that he would die.

Fortunately, Orochimaru then burst out in laughter. It was a low and menacing laugh and one that he had made many times in the past.

"It probably isn't possible actually," Orochimaru conceded, while still chuckling. "Still, I can make this a lot more fun to watch. I can stop the Akatsuki and crush the Leaf later on, for now I'll just concentrate on keeping this entertaining. "

The Snake Sannin then stood up slowly and dramatically smacked his hands together.

"Summoning: Edo Tensei!"

A coffin shot out of the ground to his right and stood up straight without any support. The lid then slid off and fell slowly to the floor. The young man inside walked stepped out but showed no other signs of life.

"This one will be perfect" Orochimaru purred, while he took a kunai out of his pouch. "Let me give him his personality back, that'll surely rustle a few feathers down there."

* * *

><p>One thing that Sasuke did not expect when facing a giant rhino was the sheer speed. It had charged towards him the second Sasuke had made his presence known and he was only just able to avoid being trampled.<p>

"You might be quick but you can't keep up with me" Sasuke declared, as he unrolled a length of metal wire. He darted around the beast, wrapping the wire around its legs as he did. Within half a minute, he had run out of wire but had been able to cover a large amount of the creature's legs.

"_Alright, lets try this" _he thought, before he began charging his chakra. Then, he ran the Chidori through the wire, hoping to immobilise the summon. The initial shock gave him hope, as the rhino roared out in what appeared to be pain. However, that hope soon vanished as it simply broke the wire and continued its assault on both Sasuke and the surrounding buildings. Sasuke fired a fire jutsu at the beast's eyes, hoping to momentarily blind the beast and get a moment to rest.

Frustrated, Sasuke fell further back hoping to avoid the onslaught. He was joined on the roof he escaped to by a team of ANBU.

"Finally decided you'd do something useful?" Sasuke taunted, letting his frustration out on the team sent to assist him.

"We need to restrict its movement," the first man said, completely ignoring Sasuke's comment.

"Not possible, it's too strong" Sasuke answered, annoyed about being ignored. "I already have a plan, but your assistance might help me carry it out easier and faster."

"What did you have in mind?" a second enquired.

"You might have noticed the clouds gathering over this area" Sasuke began, directing their attention to the skies above them. "I shot some fire jutsu into the sky, in order to create storm clouds. If you continue doing this, the clouds will gather faster and I will be able to perform my jutsu."

"How arrogant" the first ANBU member mocked. "You think that your jutsu would be powerful enough to-"

"We should trust him" a third member interrupted, to the anger of the first. "I heard from Kakashi that this technique is capable of destroying a mountain, this should be more than enough."

"Then he better make sure that he doesn't destroy the village" the first member shot back, before joining his teammates sending fire into the sky.

In truth, Sasuke was already concerned about this but he could see no other option. Unlike Naruto, he had no summon of his own to counter with in this situation. Yet, he was unsure if he could contain Kirin enough to avoid damaging the village.

"Hey, Uchiha it's spotted us" the first member warned. "Is this enough for you?"

Sasuke quickly scanned the sky and was surprised by how quickly the black clouds had multiplied. The combined effort of the three ANBU members was certainly more than what he could produce.

Sasuke nervously raised his arm straight into the air, igniting it with bright lightning. He could feel the power of the natural lightning as he took control and was slightly relieved to know that it was far less than what he used against Itachi.

"Let's just hope that this is enough" Sasuke whispered, before he brought his arm down swiftly. The lightning followed his action and drove straight into the rhino, causing it to shriek wildly. After a moment it dispersed, leaving just the small woman lying on the ground.

"She looks to be unconscious" Sasuke commented, while feeling relieved that he avoided damage to the village. "I'll leave the rest of to you, while I go and find Kakashi."

With that, Sasuke jumped from the building and ran in the general direction that Kakashi had gone half an hour before. The ANBU continued to stare back at Sasuke, completely flabbergasted by what they had witnessed.

"That Uchiha" the first ANBU member gasped, unable to even finish his sentence. However, this meant that they did not notice that the girl below had already got to her feet and was making hand seals.

* * *

><p>Kakashi attempted to move his body but he realised that it was no good. He was trapped amongst the wreckage and was unable to even free his arms. Calmly, he surveyed his surroundings to try to think of an idea. He did his best to not look at the rest of the village, unable to bear the sight of it as it was reduced to nothing. He was relieved that he couldn't see the first Pain in front of him, who probably presumed that he had died after throwing the pin. The second Pain lay off to his right, completely dismantled and lifeless. Just below him, he could see Choji cowering over the body of his presumably dead father.<p>

"Save your tears Choji" Kakashi called out, knowing that this was no time to comfort the boy. "You have to get to the Hokage and report on his abilities. Don't let your fathers sacrifice be in vain."

As Kakashi finished speaking, he suddenly sensed movement close by. To his horror, the second Pain looked over and set his eyes on the young Chunnin.

"Run Choji!" Kakashi cried, before Choji did just that. However, the Pain's lack of mobility didn't seem to be a problem, as it somehow produced a missile from its flesh. The missile then set off after Choji and followed him closely.

"_If I use it again, I'll run out of chakra" _Kakashi realised, as he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan once more. _"However, I can't think of anything else I can do to help save the village now."_

Kakashi used his unique ability to warp away the projectile and he could feel his chakra dissipate as he did so.

"_So, this is it" _he thought, as he could feel death's icy grip slowly drag him towards his fate.

'_I guess that I can't see the world through your eyes anymore Obito. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to protect Rin like I promised. _

_Sakura, I'm sorry that I won't live to see you surpass Lady Tsunade as the best Kunoichi this village has ever produced. _

_Naruto, I'm sorry that I won't be able to see you become Hokage. I have no doubt in my mind that you'll reach your goal and that your parents would be proud of you. _

_Sasuke, I'm sorry that I couldn't teach you how to awaken the Mangekyo like I said I would. I'm sorry that I couldn't spend more time with you after you killed Itachi. I'm sorry that I have to put you through this suffering again. _

_Everyone, I'm so sorry._

* * *

><p>Sakura ran through the streets of the Leaf Village, fighting back the tears as she went. She had been ordered to find any survivors who needed help, in case they couldn't make it to the hospital themselves. So far, she hadn't seen a single person who needed help, just a path of destruction as her home was torn apart right before her eyes. She almost didn't want to look; terrified at the thought of finding someone she cared about amongst the rubble.<p>

Out of the corner of her eye, she detected the slightest of movement. Sakura then carefully walked over to the collapsed building, tentatively looking to see if anyone needed help.

"Hello" she called out, before waiting for a reply. Her intense concentration meant that she was off guard and didn't notice the Shiruken flying towards her. Luckily, she was tackled at the last moment and moved out of the path of the deadly weapons.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Lee asked, as he quickly got to his feet and protectively stood above her. The rest of Team Gai arrived within moments and joined Lee.

"Once again, you've escaped my attack by relying on others" a soft voice called out, to Sakura's horror. Standing on what was once a clothing store, was Sasori who stared down disdainfully at the group.

"You're supposed to be dead," Sakura gasped, remembering how Gaara crushed that very body.

"Deception is what makes a Shinobi" Sasori shot back smugly, thoroughly enjoying Sakura's shock. "This time, you won't survive."

A puppet suddenly flew out from inside the building behind Sakura, a poison laced blade pointed straight at her. Neji was the first to react, using a vacuum of air to knock the puppet back. Sasori then pulled the puppet back to him.

"Sakura, we'll take it from here" TenTen declared, as she opened the scrolls she had with her. "You need to get back to the hospital, they need all the help they can get."

Sakura wanted to argue back but knew that they were right.

"Fine but be careful" Sakura warned, still feeling uncomfortable. "He uses a very strong poison and it will paralyse you if you get hit. I won't be able to make an antidote so do not get hit."

Gai gave her a reassuring thumb up but his usual youthful enthusiasm was absent. It seemed that he was very aware of the danger that they were in. Reluctantly, Sakura left the team and couldn't bear to look back. She desperately hoped that this wouldn't be the last time that she would see them.

"I had hoped to kill her now" Sasori said, sounding almost regretful. "Although, I guess that I will deal with you for now."

Quickly, Sasori threw two scrolls into the air and 20 puppets emerged. He then opened up a panel around his chest and chakra threads jumped out and attached to each of the puppets.

"I don't have as many as before thanks to my dear grandmother and your friend" he snarled. "However, you don't have puppets of your own unlike them!"

Without warning, all of the puppets attacked at once, creating a confusing blur of zooming bodies. However, speed came naturally to the team and they were able to dodge the attacks, albeit with difficulty.

"We need to get to him," TenTen cried out, as she cleverly used her kunai to block the attacks from the nearest puppets. "Neji, we need to create an opening!"

"Rotation!"

Not needed to be told twice, Neji produced a whirl of chakra, which separated the puppets and created an opening to attack. Lee took the chance, diving forward with his arm pulled back and fist tightly clenched. However, he hadn't countered on Sasori's counter. The puppet master revealed several different blades from within his body and jumped towards Lee. The young Chunnin panicked, realizing that he couldn't do anything about the situation.

"Severe Leaf Hurricane!"

Gai dived in at the final second and delivered a devastating blow to the puppet masters face. Sasori flew backwards and landed off in the distance, with parts of his body scattered around him. Yet, this came at a cost as one blade lodged itself firmly into Gai's leg. He howled in pain and almost instantly fell to his knees.

"Sakura was right," he gasped, as sweat quickly drained from his pours. "This poison is strong indeed."

Gai was then forced to lie down, as all the strength in his body left him. His condition deteriorated rapidly and his breathing seemed very forced.

"Neji, what do we do?" Lee asked desperately, looking towards the perplexed Jonin. Neji just stood there in complete shock, unable to even move.

"We should, erm-"

"It's alright Neji" Gai spoke up, before coughing in a sickening manner. "There's nothing that can be done for me now, it's over."

"No!" TenTen and Lee cried out simultaneously, as Neji fell to his knees. They all moved in closely, even though they knew that it wouldn't make a difference.

"I've never been good with words" Gai said, his voice reduced to a barely audible whisper. "So, I'll just say this; with the power of youth on your side, I know that you can accomplish your goals."

Gai then gave his team one more cheesy grin, before the light faded from his eyes and his last breath escaped from his lips.

"Seems like my new fast acting poison works as well as I hoped" Sasori called out, as he slowly walked over to the group. His body was crushed and he was obviously struggling to even move. However, he still had control over half of his puppets and they circled him ominously.

"Shut up!" Neji spat, uncharacteristically showing the burning anger he felt inside. "You don't deserve to speak in front of him!"

"You don't even deserve to live" TenTen added, echoing Neji's sentiments.

"We swear" Lee continued, as he crossed his arms in front of him and prepared to use his final technique. "We swear by the power of youth that we will kill you where you stand!"

* * *

><p>Sasuke was running full place through the village, his Sharingan active so that he could see any attacks coming his way. He had yet to find Kakashi but he wasn't worried. After all, it's a big village and finding the right battle wasn't going to be easy.<p>

Eventually, he came through a gap in the building and reached a clearing. There was a large amount of debris scattered around, as entire building appeared to have been pushed apart. Yet, there was a large circle in the middle of the area with no wreckage at all. Sasuke began to wonder about what could have possibly done this, when he spotted a familiar grey haired Shinobi amongst the rubble.

"_He doesn't change" _Sasuke thought, as he smiled wryly. _"I guess he's got his lightning clone off fighting somewhere as usual. Although, he's not quite as well hidden as usual. I guess that he didn't want to restrict his movement too much."_

Sasuke looked around for a sign of battle, but couldn't see anything from his position. Figuring that the fight must have got dragged further away, Sasuke quickly moved towards his Sensei to get more information.

"Hey Kakashi" he whispered, as he reached his teacher. "Using that clone again are you? A little cowardly don't you think?"

Kakashi didn't answer; he simply lay there without acknowledging Sasuke at all.

"All right, your not lazy just tell me what's going on."

Once again there was no answer, which aroused Sasuke's suspicions.

"Kakashi?" Sasuke called out, a hint of panic in his voice. "Kakashi, this isn't funny answer me. Kakashi? Kakashi!"

Sasuke was shaking Kakashi at this point, frantically yelling and hoping that he was being deceived. He placed his fingers on the body's neck, waiting to feel that reassuring beat.

"No" he whispered, after spending a minute without feeling any signs of life. "No, this can't be happening again. You can't be dead, you just can't. Kakashi, please!"

He felt the tears fill his eyes but he did nothing to stop them. The water streamed down his face as Sasuke held on to his Sensei's body. He felt complete despair run through him and those emotions that he locked away for years came flooding back. The one person that he could easily talk to, the one person who he had the most in common with, the one person that came the closest to his family now lay there lifeless and once again there was nothing that he could do about it.

"Well, isn't this a sight" a cocky voice called out from above, while standing on a giant clay bird. "The last of the Uchiha clan crying like a child and "Copy Ninja Kakashi" lying there dead. The only thing that could make this any better is if I killed him myself."

Deidera's voice was so filled with glee that he sounded almost giddy.

"_Even though that's two Sharingan users I didn't get the chance to kill, I can still take out the last one," _he thought, while preparing one of his explosives. _"My name will go down in history as the artist that exterminated the Sharingan!"_

As Deidera finished preparing his attack, Sasuke picked himself up. He was shaking uncontrollably, as the pain of loss suddenly turned in to anger. He slowly raised his head and stared up at Deidera, with his Sharingan having suddenly taken on a very new appearance.


	15. Worthy of Hokage

Chapter 15: Worthy of Hokage

"_What's wrong with his Sharingan?" _Deidera wondered, as he noticed that his opponent's eyes had taken on a red star like shape with a black background. Such an evolution worried him slightly but didn't put a dent in his confidence.

"Let's do this for starters!" Deidera cried out, throwing four of his small clay birds directly at Sasuke. Predictably, he responded with four lightning enhanced Shiruken, which deactivated the explosives.

"Kakashi told me about your weakness already" Sasuke stated, never once taking his eyes from Deidera. "You do not have a chance against me, so why don't you just give up?"

"_Arrogant, just like your brother" _Deidera thought, maintain an angry appearance on the outside. _"Yet, unlike Itachi, your arrogance is blinding you to what is really going on. Keeping your attention on me means you haven't noticed the huge small bombs lying in wait for you. Once my swarm surrounds you, you won't be able to dodge or possibly use Chidori on all of them."_

Suddenly, a huge mass of small white explosives appeared from behind the rubble and surrounded Sasuke faster than he could react. Deidera brought two fingers up in front of his face and smiled maliciously.

"Kats-"

"Chidori Stream!"

Sasuke's body lit up with lightning that flew out in all directions. Deidera's explosives were all effected and fell to the floor rather limply and lifeless. Deidera let out an annoyed grunt at this latest failure while Sasuke maintained his hate fuelled glare.

"_What is this feeling?" _he thought, also not allowing his feelings to show on the surface. _"It's so strange and different, yet there's a small hint of familiarity. Have I used this power before? It's almost overwhelming; I saw those explosives as if they were moving slowly. Could it be that I've finally unlocked it? Is this the Mangekyo Sharingan?"_

"Stop staring at me like that!" Deidera yelled out, as he thrust his hands into the pouches he wore around his waist. "You and your brother, with your judgemental stares from your repugnant kekkei genkai. I'll show you that my art is far superior to his and yours."

Tired with playing defensive, Sasuke pointed his Chidori enhanced at Deidera and a giant spear of lightning jumped out towards the Akatsuki member. In a panic, the giant bird flew backwards and further into the air to avoid the deadly attack. Luckily, the spear stopped extending eventually and it appeared that he was safe.

"So, that's your range huh?" Deidera called out, chuckling slightly. "You've lost this fight already, all you can do is defend against me and you won't be able to keep that up indefinitely!"

"_He might be a loud mouth, but what he's saying is true" _Sasuke admitted privately. "_I don't have anything else that has a longer range than that last attack, well nothing that I've tried out before. If this really is the Mangekyo, there is one jutsu that will reach him. Time to find out what I'm really capable of."_

Sasuke closed his left eye and focused his chakra, allowing it to build up in a single point. He felt a strange burning sensation, which suddenly unlocked a hazy memory. He had used this before, although it was not intentional. He knew that he was performing it correctly and was confirmed when he felt the warmness of the blood slowly pouring from his eye and down his cheek. He then quickly opened his eye and focused his gaze on Deidera.

"_Amaterasu!"_

Less than a second later, Deidera was consumed with black flames that quickly spread to his bird. He screamed out in horror before plummeting to the ground, where he unsuccessfully tried to put out the flames. Deidera's bird split apart, with one wing reaching the ground before being tainted with the jutsu. The wing then burst apart and Deidera stumbled out from inside.

"That's a frightening jutsu," he gasped, as he glanced over to the clay clone that was burning to his right. "Still, you've now revealed to me how it works. As long as I move from your line of sight when your left eye starts bleeding, I'll be fine. Now, what explosive should I use to finish you off? Hopefully one that will be big enough to destroy Kakashi's body as well, as having one Sharingan left in this world doesn't sit well with me."

"_How dare he!" _Sasuke thought, as he struggled to keep his anger under control. _"Talking about Kakashi and the Sharingan in front of me like that, ridiculing me. I have to kill him, he doesn't deserve to live."_

Sasuke then noticed that the flames were still burning either side of Deidera, consuming the clay bird and clone respectively. As he looked at them, his right eye began to react. The flames flickered slightly, moving a little towards Deidera. As he looked, he willed the flames to recede and they did. Sasuke grinned slightly, knowing that the advantage had just swung his way once again.

"Well it doesn't matter, you won't be alive long enough to see the Sharingan survive anyway" Sasuke shot back.

Deidera gave Sasuke a confused look, not realising what was happening around him. The flames dived at Deidera from either side, consuming him before he could even react. This time, the screams of anguish and smell of burning flesh were real and the youngest member of the Akatsuki perished with his last thought being of how he would destroy the Sharingan.

Sasuke had to bring his hands up to his eyes in order to numb the pain he felt. Not only did it feel like his chakra had taken a huge hit but it was also as if his eyes had been gouged out. He was left wondering how Itachi could bear to use the techniques so much in just battle.

"Don't worry about your eyes, the Mangekyo always hurts the first time you use it" a deep voice called out. Horrified, Sasuke slowly looked up to discover the source of the disturbance. Sitting on a pile of rubble was the man in the orange mask.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Sasuke demanded, instinctively reaching for his katana.

"I wouldn't bother with that Sasuke, physical attacks don't work on me" the man replied. "Besides, I'm just here to talk to you, that's all."

"Who says that I'm willing to listen to you?" Sasuke shot back.

"Oh, I think that you'll listen" the man chuckled, as he flashed his Sharingan through he hole in his mask. "After all, this is about your brother and the real reason that he slaughtered your entire clan."

For the first time in years, Sai was suffering from internal conflict. He stood on his ink bird above the village, surveying the damage below. He felt something resembling anger and pain as he watched his comrades perish but something was holding him back.

"_Lord Danzo is expecting me, I should be with other members of Root by now" _he told himself. _"Can I really disobey a direct order? Is following orders more important than protecting this village?"_

As he continued to battle his inner demons, he noticed a single Shinobi running through the village streets. He had information on every person in the village, so the sight of a stranger alarmed him. What's worse was that it was obvious that he was heading towards the Hokage's office, where Lady Tsunade was on the roof using her jutsu to heal everyone in the village.

Tsunade had to fight off the tears as she heard the reports of the casualties from Katsuyu. Neither Kakashi nor Gai were showing any signs of life and Jiraiya was taken back to the hospital, unconscious and barely clinging on to life. Countless numbers of Shinobi were either dead or dying and the relentless destruction showed no signs of letting up. Tsunade glanced up at the mountain just behind her wondering what the Hokage's of the past would make of her response here.

"Someone's coming" one of the ANBU guarding her warned, as he withdrew his katana in preparation.

"I don't recognise the chakra," another ANBU reported, who was using his Sensory abilities. There was a tense moment as movement could be heard down below and a body moved into the air. The ANBU instantly relaxed as the familiar sight of the Leaf uniform came into view, even if they didn't initially recognise the Shinobi. However, the mere sight of the man caused Tsunade to lose focus and bring an end to her jutsu.

"No" she gasped, as the man landed in front of her. "It can't be, you can't be here."

With partly cracking skin and darkened eyes, it would have been difficult for many of the Shinobi to recognise their former comrade. However, these features did not detract from his sparkling long blue hair and the unique way with which he moved, not to mention his general facial structure. The man that Tsunade's heart longed for was in front of her for the first time after all these years and it all it did was cause that very heart to break.

"Tsunade" he said softly, cracking a slight smile as he gazed upon her. "Seems that you've aged as well as you claimed that you would. I'm glad to see that your life turned out to be as successful as I always thought it would be."

As soon as he finished speaking, he launched towards Tsunade at speed. The ANBU blocked his path and in engaged him in a battle of Taijutsu. Despite being outnumbered, he held his own quite well while only wielding a kunai.

"Dan!" Tsunade cried out, as Dan and the ANBU simultaneously fired a Water and Fire jutsu respectively. Unsurprisingly, Dan came out on top and stood unchallenged. "Why are you doing this? How are you here?"

"I'm sorry" Dan moaned, while standing completely still. "I can't control my actions, whoever is controlling this technique controls me completely. I'm just a pawn in this wicked game."

"_I can bring those most dear to you back to life using my jutsu."_

"Orochimaru" Tsunade spat, as she recalled the offer that was made to her long ago. "This is low, even for him. Does this mean that he's in league with the Akatsuki?"

"I wouldn't know but that's not important right now" Dan said quickly. "Listen, I know this jutsu and I know the only way to stop it. Someone who has been resurrected with Edo Tensei cannot be killed conventionally. My soul is bound to this earth so while the soul remains intact so does this body. You have to seal me or restrict my movement; it's the only way."

"Thanks for the tip!" one of the ANBU yelled as he ran towards the apparently defenceless Dan. His katana then cut through Dan's midsection, slicing him in half.

"I just told you" Dan grumbled, as the lower half of his body reattached itself to his torso. "Physical attacks won't kill me, the Edo Tensei will just regenerate any injuries I receive."

Dan then unleashed another attack and this time he was just too fast for the supposed elite Shinobi. They were cut down within seconds, leaving Tsunade alone to battle her former lover.

"Tsunade, don't hesitate to fight me. I am nothing but a reanimated corpse and don't think of me as anything but that. Remember, despite how much I want to I'm not capable of holding back against you."

As if to prove his point, Dan jumped at Tsunade and launched an aggressive barrage of Taijutsu that Tsunade was able to keep at bay. During the attack, she saw plenty of openings to counter attack, but couldn't bring herself to deliver a single blow. Despite his words of protest and appearance, he was still Dan to her.

As he attacked, his facial expression suddenly changed. His eyes tensed up and a sickening smile spread across his lips. He began laughing slowly, in a horrifyingly familiar way.

"Tsunade" he hissed, his voice completely changed. "Is this everything you could have wished for?"

"You!" she shrieked, completely forgetting her previous inhibitions. She began striking Dan in his face with her full power, picturing her former teammate as she did. "You let my brother die! Almost killed Jiraiya when you left the village! Murdered Sarutobi Sensei and now you do this! Orochimaru you sick bastard, I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!"

As she pulled her fist back to apply her strike, Tsunade noticed yet another change. This time it was a face she hadn't seen for years, the face of fear. It was like being back in that forest all over again, screaming Dan's name as his life quickly drained from him. Tsunade was practically paralysed, unable to hit him again. Dan did not do the same, delivering a swift kick to her face. The Hokage was knocked backwards and Dan began to make hand signs.

"Tsunade!" he called out, unable to stop what was about to occur. "I'm so sorry for this."

"_Those signs. No, it can't be!" _Tsunade thought, panicking at the situation.

"Spirit Transformation Jutsu!"

Dan's entire body glowed a pale green colour for a second, before it disappeared from view completely. Tsunade had seen the jutsu before and she knew its power. For the next minute or so, he was a spirit in almost every since of the word. He could not be heard or seen by anyone, meaning that it was completely impossible to tell where an attack was coming from.

"_Now you have her," _Orochimaru's voice purred in Dan's mind. _"Now you can kill her. She can recover from any physical damage but not from this attack. Take the kunai in your back pocket and slice her with it. It's laced with the fastest acting poison ever created and she'll die within a minute of it entering her bloodstream."_

In spite of all efforts to fight it, Dan did as he was instructed. The blade made a horrible and bloody scar on Tsunade's cheek and she fell to her knees almost instantly. Within seconds, her breathing had become fractured and her voice hoarse.

"_How ironic, a legendary medic dying from poison" _she thought, before noticing exactly where she had landed. _"For once in my life, there's some small slice of luck! I can do one last thing for this village before I go."_

Dan watched as Tsunade unleashed a huge burst of chakra, erasing the seal on her forehead as she did so. A minute passed and while most people would have died, Tsunade continued to release the last of her chakra.

"_She's giving her chakra to Katsuyu, so she can continue to treat the village after she dies" _Dan realised, as Tsunade's skin began to wrinkle. _"With her last actions, she is protecting this village. Tsunade, you truly are worthy of the title of Hokage."_

He felt the tears trickle down his face and his body begin to crumble. He staggered over to the frightened and frail old woman and kneeled down to her level. Just before his body completely disappeared, he embraced her in a hug.

"I'm sorry," they both whispered, before leaving this world together. A number of seconds later, Pain landed on the rooftop only to be confronted by six dead bodies, two of which lay next to each other.

"Looks like someone else got to her before I did" he said, before receiving a message from another body. "Mount Myoboku, huh? Guess that means there is only one more thing to do to this village."

"_Come on Ino, move her in to position."_

Sakura waited patiently behind a large cloud of dust, where she was just about able to see the battle unfolding in front of her. Hinata and Ino were fighting against a blue haired, female member of the Akatsuki who didn't seem to be putting up much effort. Indeed, most of the time she had simply dodged their various attacks and asked for the location of Naruto Uzumaki.

"I said that we won't tell you!" Ino screamed, as she was able to knock Konan back ever so slightly. Finally seeing an opening, Sakura jumped out from behind the dust and aimed a hit at the apparently unprepared Konan. However, the Akatsuki member was more alert than she appeared and she simply jumped into the air to avoid the attack. Before gravity could bring her back to earth, a large mass of paper attached to her back and formed two large wings. She then remained floating in the air, menacingly staring down at the three young Kunoichi below her.

"Air Palm!" Hinata yelled, sending a vacuum of air at her opponent. This was easily countered with a small tornado of paper that seemed to simply absorb the attack.

"_Damn, that's the only long-range attack we have" _Sakura thought, as sweat began to drip down her face. _"How can we possibly fight her now?"_

"I commend you for your bravery and skill" Konan called out, her voice noticeably lacking emotion. "Which means that you need to be dealt with now, for you could be a threat to us in the future. Now then-"

Suddenly, two giant ink lions smashed into Konan, knocking her to the ground. Sai then arrived on top of his ink bird, with an open scroll and a paint brush ready to begin drawing.

"Whose that?" Ino asked.

"Sai?" Sakura responded, unsure if she'd got the response right. She only really knew him as the guy that followed Sasuke around.

Konan returned to the air, ominously staring down her new opponent. She seemed ready to attack but before she could she quickly turned to the right.

"_The other bodies are leaving the village, that must mean that the Nine Tails isn't here. Why is the Deva Path still here then? What is Nagato doing?"_

"Sorry to cut this battle short but I have to leave" Konan informed them, as her body began to peel away and turned into small sheets of paper. Within seconds, she had disappeared completely. Before they could relax, Sasuke limped out from behind the rubble behind them.

"Sakura" he croaked, as he struggled to stand. "Thank god I found you. I need your help. It burns all over my body!"

Sakura ran over to her teammate straight away and was quickly followed by Ino and Sai. She immediately began administering treatment, although she couldn't see any outward signs of injury.

"Sasuke, what happened to you?" she asked, having not seen anything like this.

"_I don't believe you! Your just telling me all this to mess with my head, there's no way that it's true. You know that there's no way of proving this, so I won't believe it!_

"_You can say what you want, it doesn't make it any less true" Madara replied. "As for physical proof, Danzo's right arm should be all the proof you need. Either way, I could just kidnap you right now and force you into my plans."_

_Madara sunk into the ground and then reappeared next to Sasuke. As he reached out towards the young Uchiha, a blue aura surrounded him and a ribcage became visible with Sasuke in the centre. _

"_Incredible" Madara gasped, as he placed a hand on the bone. "You've already unlocked what so many Uchiha failed to achieve. Not every Mangekyo user is capable of creating the Susano'o."_

_Sasuke smirked as the bones suddenly ignited with black flames. Madara's hand caught fire and he stumbled backwards in a panic. He then disappeared in a vortex and Sasuke took his chance to retreat. _

"Never mind, it's not important now" Sasuke replied, trying to keep the events of the past hour from his mind. "Sai, go and see if anyone else needs your help. It'll be easy for you with your drawings. This is working Sakura, the only other thing I need is something to replenish my chakra. "

"I have these" Ino offered, taking three small black pills from her pouch. "Soldier Pills, one should probably be enough but if you really feel-"

Sasuke instantly took all three and ate them as fast as possible. He felt his powers return to him but was still worried by the numb feeling in his eyes. Sakura continued to heal him, when Hinata noticed something.

"Who's that in the sky?" she asked, as an orange haired man in an Akatsuki cloak floated above the village.

"That's not the problem" Sasuke responded, as he got to his feet. "The question is: what is he about to do?"

"_Nagato, you can't do this. One this size will shorten your life!"_

"_I have already decided to do this, Konan."_

"_What about Madara? He said not to harm Sasuke Uchiha or risk destroying Itachi's body."_

"_Madara is not in charge of us, now that we have the beasts his usefulness has been fulfilled."_

"_Nagato, you shouldn't-"_

…_._

"_Shinra Tensei!"_

The most noticeable thing was the complete and utter silence that followed the deafening gust of wind. Everything was still, as if the eye of a great storm had arrived to offer momentary peace.

Across the village, Katsuyu began to break the silence.

"Are you ok?"

"Sorry we couldn't give you any warning."

"We had to use the last of the chakra Lady Tsunade gave us."

Sai flew back down to the village quickly, having moved out of the way of the blast with his bird. He returned to the area that Sasuke and Sakura had been in, hoping that they were all right. When he got there, he was stunned at what he saw. A giant dark blue skeleton stood there, with a hand covering Ino and Hinata. At the centre, Sasuke held Sakura close to his body as the ribcage covered them both. As Sai landed, Sakura slowly pulled away from Sasuke's chest.

"Sasuke, what-"

She noticed that he was crying, albeit silently. He composed himself and withdrew Susano'o and lightly pushed Sakura away from him.

"Sai, look after her for me" he demanded. "Sakura, don't come after me. I've lost almost everything in my life already; I refuse to lose you as well. I will make him pay for what he has done."

Before Sakura could object, Sasuke darted towards the centre of the crater that the village had become. However, many of those that had survived were already looking at that very spot, for a cloud of white smoke had suddenly appeared there. In the middle of this smoke, a single voice called out.

"I thought we were going back to village. Where have we ended up?"


	16. Knowing Pain

Chapter 16: Knowing Pain

"Hey, I thought we were supposed to be going to the village?"

"Naruto, this is the village. Take a close look at everything around you."

Naruto looked around the giant crater that surrounded him, preying that Ma was wrong. However, in the corner of his eye he spotted something that made his stomach drop. The Hokage Mountain, battered and cracked, stood as proudly as ever over the now destroyed village. When he concentrated, he could feel the chakra of the people who inhabit the village running through him, like some cruel joke that was playing on the fact that he had failed to save them. However, there was one presence that he couldn't recognise.

"Is that him? The one in the middle? Is that Pain?"

"That's one of them yes," Fukasaku croaked, as he concentrated his tiny eyes on the orange haired man in the middle of the crater. "He's got the eyes to go alongside that ominous chakra."

"So, I can just take this one out now before the rest of them show up?" Naruto enquired, preparing to attack. However, before he could another figure jumped into the air and a summoning jutsu brought another four people. "Scratch that then, I should probably think a little further ahead."

"Nine Tails" the first Pain called out, his face emotionless. "Do you want to come with me now without protest, or do you want to see the few survivors of your village die?"

"Careful Naruto" Gamabunta called out, as the young Jinchuriki jumped from the giant toad and onto the ground with stupendous force. "You don't want that beast inside of you to get out of control."

"Don't worry, this Sage chakra makes it easier to supress the Nine Tails so it won't be escaping anytime soon" Naruto declared, although the time limit he actually had screamed at him from the back of his mind. However, he put that at the back of his mind as a familiar chakra raced towards the scene at speed.

"Sasuke Uchiha" Deva Pain commented, still unmoved by the latest arrival. "What an interesting little twist we have here. I didn't expect to see you still in the village."

Naruto wondered what that could possibly mean but decided to ignore it for the moment. After all, he had much more pressing concerns.

"Sasuke, go back. I don't want to offend you, but trying to fight while watching your back will be too difficult," Naruto muttered grimly.

"Then don't watch my back if you don't want to, but don't think that I'll be running away from this for your convenience" Sasuke shot back.

"Sasuke, if this is just because you want to prove that my new power hasn't surpassed you-"

"Do you think that I'd be that pathetic?" Sasuke screamed, as he trembled with anger. "I have my own reasons for fighting and frankly, I know that I can be of help."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke inquisitively for a second, wondering where this sudden surge of anger was coming from. Sure, Naruto had always thought that he felt something for the village deep down, but to be affected this much by it?

That's when something clicked in his head. When Naruto had arrived, he had checked the chakra of the people he had cared about the most but there was one that he didn't remember feeling.

"Sasuke, this probably isn't the time but, what happened to Kakashi Sensei?"

Sasuke didn't respond; he simply looked straight ahead. Yet, Naruto could feel a cold change in his chakra, a dark feeling similar to that day at the Valley of the End. He also saw a flicker in his eyes, although from the angle that he was stood Naruto couldn't quite make out what it was.

"Tell the toads to go back" Sasuke said, still refusing to look at Naruto. "This isn't their fight and besides they're only likely to die against this power."

Bellows of protest could be heard behind him, but Naruto did his best to ignore them. Like against Itachi, Sasuke wanted this battle to be personal. He always did and up until now, Naruto had always berated him for it. Yet, this time, he had a similar feeling himself.

"Everyone except the boss and Ma should leave, we'll take care of this" Naruto ordered, to the annoyance of the toads. Under much protest, they dispersed leaving just the two smallest behind.

"Fools" Deva Pain muttered.

Without any warning, the mechanical looking Pain burst out from the pack and charged at Naruto. With one swift attack, Naruto crushed it into the ground. Pieces of metal sprayed out everywhere and the sound of machinery breaking rang out as the body was pushed further into the earth. Although, Naruto could tell he was in trouble as another presence appeared just above him. Given the short distance, Naruto knew that there wasn't much he could do about it and simply prepared for impact.

The attack never came and when Naruto next looked up, the longhaired Pain was covered in a shroud of blue chakra. Except, it wasn't a shroud really was it? No, the more Naruto looked the more it appeared to be a hand.

"Naruto, step back" Sasuke said calmly, before Naruto could speculate any further. "I wouldn't want to mess up that new cape of yours.

Looking over at Sasuke, everything became clear. He was surrounded by a giant skeleton made of the very same blue chakra and his Sharingan had turned in to the shape of a star. Sensing what would come next, Naruto did as he was told and jumped back just in time to watch the body be squashed by the hand of the Susano'o and the blood burst out everywhere close by.

"_Interesting" _Pain remarked, his thoughts passing through each body simultaneously. _"Stupidly, I've underestimated this situation. Even for me, fighting a Mangekyo Sharingan user and a Sage will be difficult. Still, they aren't on Itachi and Jiraiya's level yet so I still have the advantage. Just need to stall until my full powers return."_

"Summoning Jutsu!"

The female Pain fired off multiple summoning's in succession, creating a collection of giant summons all equipped with a Rinnegan design of their own. Even though each summon had different qualities, such as the rhino that appeared to have sheer strength and the fierceness of the three-headed wolf, they were all incredibly threatening.

"Now that we've got rid of the toads, any ideas for dealing with these things?" Naruto asked, trying not to sound desperate. Predictably, Sasuke responded with a smile.

"We already have a strategy for dealing with this kind of thing, remember?" Sasuke responded, to Naruto's confusion. "I just hope that you've upgraded your side of the attack as much as I have."

Sasuke retracted his Susano'o and closed his left eye. Naruto was still confused until he noticed the small amount of blood trickling down his cheek. Catching on, Naruto hastily made his hand seals.

"Sage Art: Wind Hurricane Jutsu!"

"Amaterasu!"

The black flames were spread across the entire crater, igniting each of the summons. They shrieked in pain as the searing hot infernos quickly consumed them. Before long, each of the animals had vanished in a cloud of white smoke but the problems did not disappear with them.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled out, looking to alert his teammate.

"I'm already on it!" Sasuke shouted back, turning his right eye on to the flames that had spread to the small parts of the village that were still left. He worked quickly to extinguish the fire, hoping that he hadn't caused the death of any of his comrades.

"They're doing very well" Fukasaku beamed positively from the sideline position they had taken. However, this was met with a rather pessimistic groan from Ma.

"For now but the Uchiha boy doesn't look to be holding out too well and Naruto's Sage Mode will not last forever without us on his shoulders. There's still a long way to go yet" Ma responded.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Naruto had noticed that Sasuke wasn't holding out too well, after he'd grabbed his right eye and stumbled to the ground. Deciding to end it quickly, he began forming his new technique he had perfected with Sage Mode.

He launched the giant chakra Shiruken across the crater towards the four remaining bodies. They all immediately jumped out of its range, except for the female body that simply stared in horror. Eventually, that body dodged as well but Naruto knew that it was too late. The Shiruken expanded and completely decimated the female path, leaving no trace of her once the technique ended.

Using the chaos that Naruto had created, Sasuke shot a bolt of Chidori towards a seemingly unaware Pain. However, he simply turned and raised his arms and the technique seemed to vanish. Sasuke grunted and turned to Naruto.

"Seems that one can absorb ninjutsu, we'll have to take him first" he whispered.

"We have more important things to worry about just this second" Naruto replied, his voice filled with worry. "I'm out of Sage chakra, seems using that first jutsu alongside the Rasenshuriken was just too much."

"Well, what do we do now?"

"That's what this scroll is for" Naruto said, taking the giant scroll that was strapped to his back. "I don't have time to explain but I can use this to replenish my Sage chakra the only thing is-"

"I'll have to hold him off alone," Sasuke declared, as he began walking over towards the three remaining Pains. "That's just fine, you do what you need to do."

Sasuke stood in front of the bodies and once again allowed the deadly blue chakra to engulf him and was soon surrounded by his ethereal guardian. He winced ever so slightly, feeling a very small burning sensation rush around his body, although it left almost as quickly as it came.

"Sasuke Uchiha" Deva Pain commented once again. "It's very ironic that you of all people in this village have come to stand before me. You see, unlike them, you understand something about Pain don't you? You know what it's like to feel the loss of everyone close to you, to be betrayed by the one's you trusted. To be betrayed even by your own village."

Sasuke, who had been largely ignoring Pain's sermon up until that point, opened his eyes wide in horror.

"That isn't true, what he told me was a lie!" Sasuke screamed. "You're just trying to play with my head, just like he did!"

"What do I have to gain by lying to you?" Pain responded calmly. "After all, getting you all worked up will probably only grant you more power, such is the way of your clan. I am simply telling you what you need to know. This village manipulated your dear older brother and forced him to kill everyone you held dear."

"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled, as the chakra around him turned much more violent. Thicker chakra wrapped itself around the bones of the Susano'o, making something resembling skin. Next, another bunch of chakra wrapped itself around, creating a layer of armour. Sasuke stood there, glaring at his opponent with a heart filled with rage.

"Die" he spat, as his Susano'o fired an arrow right at the centre Pain. Predictably, the larger body moved to absorb the attack, which it began doing successfully. However, out of nowhere another Rasenshuriken appeared from the side and was sent screaming towards the Pains. Knowing there was nothing he could do, the Pain absorbing the attacks simply allowed himself to be hit while the others were able to dodge once again. After Naruto's attack was complete, only two Pain's remained. Despite this, Deva Pain made something resembling a smile.

"Finally" he said, as another Rasenshuriken flew towards the duo. The attack just seemed to bounce off of them and Naruto could feel his precious Sage chakra leave him once more. Sasuke on the other hand could feel his eyes shaking involuntarily, as if they were trying to force themselves to rest. Sasuke knew that he couldn't keep this up for too long and decided to end his Susano'o in order to preserve the technique for later use.

"Enough playing, Nine Tails it's time you came with me," Pain declared, as he extended his arm towards Naruto and opened up his hand. A black sphere appeared there and began pulling everything towards it. This gravitational pull caught both Naruto and Sasuke by surprise and they had to act quickly. In desperation, Sasuke summoned his Susano'o once more, although he only used the ribcage and arms. He used one had to grab Naruto and another to dig in to the ground to stop the pull. However, he had not counted on the other Pain being able to move so he was left with a tough choice when he noticed him coming towards him with a sharp rod. Deciding it was too good of an opportunity to miss, as well as the slight doubt in his mind that his defence would not hold, Sasuke used the hand connected to the ground to grab and crush the body. This meant that, with nothing to hold them, both Naruto and Sasuke were sent flying towards the small gravitational field. However, Sasuke was ready and he pulled the free arm into the air threateningly.

"_Once we get close enough, I'll just crush him where he stands!"_

However, Pain seemed to have caught on to this idea and he quickly ended the technique and moved out of the way.

"Replenish that chakra one more time, then we'll finish him" Sasuke muttered, as Naruto ran towards the scroll again.

"Impressive work" Pain said to Sasuke condescendingly. "You're the second person with a Sharingan to avoid my trap today, can you guess who was the first? The only hint I can give you is that I killed him as well. Shame really, Kakashi Hatake could have been useful to me."

"Don't you dare" Sasuke spat. "Don't you dare mention his name!"

The chakra of the Susano'o turned violence once again and another layer was added. A type of cloak surrounded the armour, revealing only two small lights for eyes in a small space at the top. He had taken on the same Susano'o form as Itachi and he could feel it's immense power. However, that was not all he could feel. Sasuke's eyes filled with a searing pain unlike anything he had ever felt before. His Susano'o instantly dissipated and he grabbed his eyes to shield them from the pain. When he opened them, all he could see was a faint blur with each object barely distinguishable from the other.

"No" he whispered. "Not now, not already."

"You are a fool Sasuke Uchiha" Pain mocked, as he simply walked past the boy. "Itachi did not use the power as wastefully as you because he knew the consequences of such use. Now, I can finally take what I came for."

Pain ran over to a defenceless Naruto, who had yet to summon his clone. With no Sage chakra, he had no chance against Pain who was able to pin him down with his rods.

"Time for us to go" Pain declared threateningly.

"I think you're forgetting about me!" Sasuke screamed, as he ran towards Pain with his katana in his right hand and a Chidori in his left. Effortlessly, Pain knocked him away with Shinra Tensei but such a setback didn't deter Sasuke. He came back again with his katana and Pain summoned a rod to fight back.

"You think you can beat me in your state? You're as delusional as Kakashi I'll tell you that."

The battle itself not so much a battle as a savage beating. Pain effortlessly blocked Sasuke's wild attack, who was then unable to defend from Pain's counters. With deep cuts all over his body, almost no eyesight and terrible pain in his heart he just kept going desperate to protect his friend.

"Enough of this" Pain spat, as he stuck his weapon straight through Sasuke's stomach. "I've spent more than enough time with trash like you."

As Naruto watched his best friend fall slowly backwards with blood streaming from both his mouth and stomach, he began to feel an unnatural amount of anger. This demonic rage burned up inside him, consuming him quicker than anything ever had before. This was the last straw; Pain had finally pushed him too far. With a barbaric roar, Naruto allowed himself to be consumed and set his sights on the source of his pain.


End file.
